NAMASKAR! A warm welcome to 'World News: an Indian perspective on All India Radio. This is SAIRA MUJTABA 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 and Australia to further boost Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese to hold bilateral talks in New Delhi on Friday.

⦁ Sri Lanka's Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry says India and Sri Lanka working on improving cooperation in connectivity, tourism and investments.

⦁ NISAR, the largest ever advanced RADAR system jointly developed by NASA and ISRO reaches Bengaluru.

⦁ Senior Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Paudel elected as new President of Nepal.

⦁ South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to visit Japan for summit, first such visit in 12 years.

⦁ Malaysia's former Prime Minister Muhyiddin arrested on corruption charges.

⦁ And, Australia score 255 for Four wickets at stumps on Day One in first innings against India in 4th and final Test of Border Gavaskar Cricket trophy in Ahmedabad.

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PM-AUSTRALIA MEETING

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will hold bilateral talks in New Delhi on Friday. The two leaders are expected to discuss various gamut of issues to further boost the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between their nations. Besides, both leaders are also expected to hold talks on trade, investment, defence, education and renewable energy. More from our correspondent:

India and Australia share warm and friendly relations. The Strategic Partnership between the two countries was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020. Last year, both countries signed a free trade agreement called the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement. The bilateral trade between the two countries amounts to nearly 27 billion dollars in 2021-22. The bilateral trade is expected to cross 45 to 50 billion dollars by 2035. The meeting carries significant weight in the context of the Quad, as the two Prime Ministers are expected to discuss the ongoing efforts of the Quad in the Indo-Pacific region. Bhupendra Singh, AIR News, Delhi.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Antony Albanese inaugurated the friendship hall of fame in Ahmedabad which showcases the rich history of India-Australia Cricket Contests. Both the leaders handed over test caps to their respective test captains and cheered the players.

The event was organised to commemorate 75 years of cricket Friendship this year.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is on a four day visit to India. During his stay in Delhi, Mr. Albanese will also meet President Droupadi Murmu and Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar.

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RAJNATH-AUSTRALIA

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday held a telephonic conversation over with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles. Both Ministers reaffirmed their commitment towards further strengthening the bilateral defence relationship. The Defence Ministry stated that the conversation was reflective of the trust and friendship between both countries, especially in matters related to defence and security.

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SRI LANKA-SABRY COOPERATION

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Affairs Minister M.U.M. Ali Sabry has said that Sri Lanka and India look forward to more cooperation in several sectors. In an exclusive interview with All India Radio, the minister said that the two countries are working on improving cooperation in connectivity, tourism and investments.

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INDIA-US SKILLING

India's Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday held a meeting with the United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo for forging stronger linkages between both countries in the skilling sector. Mr Pradhan stressed that skills and competencies have become more important than degrees in today’s times. He also informed that both the leaders agreed to strengthen institutional mechanisms for making the Indian skill ecosystem more vibrant for building the workforce of the future. In the meeting, discussions were held on creating lifelong learning opportunities on a large scale and deepening collaborations in 3S that is - Skilling, Start-ups and  Small and Medium Enterprises. Both the leaders agreed that the size of India’s workforce and the size of opportunities in critical and emerging technologies in the U.S. can be aligned for mutual benefit.

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KARNATAKA- NASA-ISRO

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) received the NISAR satellite from the U.S. space agency in Bengaluru on Wednesday. NISAR is a Low Earth Orbit observatory jointly developed by NASA and ISRO.

A US air force C17 cargo plane carried the payload to Bengaluru. The payload jointly developed by NASA and ISRO will be integrated with the Earth Observation Satellite in U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru and undergo various tests. The Space Mission is part of India-US civil space collaboration. NISAR with the largest ever radar antenna, 12 meters long drum shaped, wire mesh reflector extended from a 30 feet boom, is the most advanced radar system that will study natural hazards, melting sea ice and groundwater supply. The GSLV Mark II launch vehicle of ISRO will launch the Earth Observation Satellite from its launch pad in Sriharikota early next year.

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UP-SK DELEGATION

A group of 200 Buddhist monks and delegation from South Korea offered special prayers at Mahaparinirvana temple at Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh and wished for world peace on Thursday. The delegation reached Kushinagar on foot from Bodh Gaya. The pilgrimage is marking 50 years of diplomatic relations and collaboration between India and South Korea.

AIR Correspondent reports that as a guest of the Government of India, the delegation performed a special pooja along with a tour of the places associated with the life of Lord Buddha. The delegation includes 111 VIPs and 89 people as staff.

After offering prayers at the Mahaparinirvana temple in Kushinagar and the place of Mahaparinirvana, the delegation will leave for Lumbini in Nepal on the 11th of March. During this period proper security arrangements have been made for them.

South Korean Monks will travel 1,100 km on foot over a period of 43 days as part of a walking pilgrimage organised by the Sangwol Society of South Korea. The delegation will cover Buddhist holy sites in India and Nepal.

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MAHA-GOYAL

India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal exhorted the industry to bring proposals for joint research projects, come up with new innovations and capture new markets. He was addressing the Export Awards function organised by the Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council in Mumbai on Thursday. He asked the industry to take benefit from National Technical Textiles Mission and to take the industry forward with faster growth. He also called for leverage Samarth Scheme for upgrading the skill levels in the industry.

The Minister said that it is the need of the hour to study each Free Trade Agreement and understand requirements of other countries better. He exhorted Export Promotion Councils to open offices in other countries, such as in locations like Dubai.

The Minister asked the industry to give special attention to quality. He further said that it is time for us to ensure that quality of Indian products is the best in the world. He said that the time for coming out with two different types of quality - domestic quality and export quality - is over. The Minister informed that 2,000 products will soon come under Quality Control adding that industry needs to stop using low-quality products. He added that we need to increase our scale, focus on quality.

The Minister asked the industry to guide the Government on the products on which Quality Control Orders need to be issued. He invited them to participate actively in consultations to ensure the right quality of products.

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NAVY-TROPEX

The Indian Navy’s major operational level exercise TROPEX 2023 culminated this week in the Arabian Sea. The exercise was conducted across the expanse of the Indian Ocean Region over a period of four months. The Indian Navy said, TROPEX exercise witnessed participation of approximately 70 Indian Navy ships, six submarines and over 75 aircraft.

As part of the final joint phase, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spent a day at sea onboard the newly commissioned Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Vikrant on the 6th of this month. He reviewed the Indian Navy’s operational preparedness wherein the Navy demonstrated operational manoeuvers and various facets of combat operations.

According to the Defence Ministry, this exercise provides an opportunity to test the combat readiness of the combined fleets of the Indian Navy to operate in a multi-threat environment. The maritime exercise also facilitates operational level interaction with the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Coast Guard.

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GOVT- CRYPTO NOTIFICATION

The Indian government has said that Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 will apply to trade in crypto currencies or virtual assets. In a notification, Ministry of Finance said that the exchange between virtual digital assets and fiat currencies, the exchange between one or more forms of virtual digital assets and the transfer of virtual digital assets will be covered under money laundering act. Besides, the  safekeeping or administration of virtual digital assets and the participation in financial services related to the offer and sale of virtual digital assets will also come under the purview of the Act.

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NEPAL-PRESIDENT ELECT

Nepali Congress senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel has been elected as the new President of Nepal on Thursday.

The President is elected by an Electoral College consisting of the members of the Federal Parliament (House of Representatives and the National Assembly) and the Provincial Assembly. A total of 313 members of the Federal Parliament and 518 provincial assembly members took part in the vote. The vote weightage of the federal MP is 79 and of the provincial assembly member is 48.

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Poudel was a joint candidate of CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party Nepal, Janmat Party, Nagarik Unmukti Party, Rastriya Janamorcha and Nepal Samajbadi Party along with his party, the Nepali Congress. More from our correspondent:

In the presidential election held today in Nepal, Ram Chandra Paudel received 33,802 votes and his competitor, Subash Chandra Nembang, received 15,518 votes. Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapalia handed over the certificate of election today to Paudel at the Federal Parliament Building in New Baneshwar. Ram Chandra Paudel is elected as the third president of Nepal. 78 year old Nepalese politician born in the remote village of Satiswara, located in the Tanahun district of western Nepal, has served as Deputy Prime Minister and Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nepal. He is the veteran leader of the Nepali Congress. Paudel was newly elected as the Member of Parliament in the General Elections of 2022.He now served as the 6th term parliamentarian of Nepal. He has a masters in Arts in Nepali literature and sastri in Sanskrit literature from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu. Sweta Singh World News, Kathmandu.

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YOON-VISIT-JAPAN

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will visit Japan from the 16th of March to the 17th of March at Tokyo's invitation, the first such visit in 12 years. Yoon's office said in a statement that Yoon will hold a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, calling it an important milestone in the improvement and development of relations between South Korea and Japan. South Korea's defence ministry said on Tuesday it would work with Japan to enhance security cooperation, including trilateral relations with the United States. The two countries also agreed this week to negotiate to end export curbs on key electronics components.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said earlier this month that cooperation with the United States and Japan has become more important than ever to overcome North Korea's growing nuclear threats and other crises.

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FORMER MALAYSIAN PM ARRESTED

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday arrested former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on the charges of corruption. Muhyiddin, who was the Prime Minister for 17 months between 2020 and 2021, will be charged under laws related to abuse of power and money laundering. The ex-premier and his party have faced graft investigations since losing to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in November's election. Prime Minister Ibrahim last year ordered a review of government projects worth billions of dollars approved by Muhyiddin, including COVID-19 relief programmes, alleging they did not follow proper procedures. However, Muhyiddin has denied the accusations, describing them as a political vendetta.

Muhyiddin, who is also the president of Bersatu, a leading opposition party in Malaysia's ruling coalition, would be the second former Prime Minister to be charged. He follows Najib Razak, who is serving a 12-year jail term for corruption.

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BANGLADESH FILM AWARDS

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina conferred National Film Awards 2021 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka on Thursday. The awards were distributed to winners in 27 categories.

Eminent artists Doly Jahur and Ilias Kanchan were honoured with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ for their contribution to the film Industry in Bangladesh. Doly Jahur is a film, television and stage actress. Earlier, she received Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actress for the film Shonkhonil Karagar and Best Supporting Actress for Ghani. Ilias Kanchan has worked in over 300 films. He won a National Award for his role in the film Parineeta directed by Alamgir Kabir in 1986. He was awarded with the second-highest civilian award in Bangladesh, Ekushey Padak in 2018.

Lal Moroger Jhuti (Call of the Red Rooster) and Nona Joler Kabbo (The Salt in our waters) jointly won the award in the Best Film Category. Dhor won the award in the best short film category, while Bodhobhumite Ekdin got the award for the best documentary film.

Rezwan Shahriar Sumit got the award for Best Director for the film  Nona Joler Kabbo. Siam Ahmed received the best actor award for his role in Mridha Bonam Mridha and Mir Shabbir Mahmud for Raatjaga Fool.

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BANGLADESH-EU

The Ambassadors of the seven European Union countries held a meeting with Bangladesh Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Anisul Huq in Dhaka on Thursday to discuss issues like the controversial Digital Security Act, draft Data Protection Act, Freedom of religion among others.

The European Union Ambassadors from Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Spain and France were led by the Head of the EU Mission in Bangladesh Charles Whitley.

The Law Minister told the delegation that the next election will be participatory, free and neutral. Anisul Huq told the Ambassadors that the government wanted all the political parties to participate in it. He said the government will abide by the constitution over the next general election. He also denied any foreign pressure on Bangladesh relating to the elections scheduled to be held by the year end or early January next year.

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COLOMBIA ARMY WOMEN

Colombia has opened military service to women for the first time in 25 years. A cohort of 1,296 women have been enlisted in Colombia’s Army last month. Colombia has long had compulsory military service for men ages between 18 to 24. The army relies heavily on those young recruits to staff bases, protect infrastructure and carry out administrative tasks, while its professional soldiers confront drug trafficking gangs and rebel groups. This year, officials allowed females in the same age range to voluntary join the military, in what the army says is part of an effort to strengthen the role of women in its ranks. Colombia’s army has around two lakh soldiers. Around one per cent are women, who until now joined after attending military universities or applying for administrative jobs. Every year, the South American country drafts around 50 thousand men into the armed forces for 12 months of compulsory military service.

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EU-ANTARCTICA SEA ICE

The European Union's climate monitoring service Copernicus Climate Change Service C3S has said that sea ice in Antarctica shrank to the smallest area on record in February for the second year in a row, continuing a decade-long decline. It said, on 16th of February 16, the ocean surface covered by ice around the frozen continent shrank to 2.09 million square kilometres, the lowest level since satellite records began. A C3S Official said, Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest extent in the 45-year satellite data record. US Government scientists confirmed a new record last month but indicated an even lower figure of 1.79 million square kilometres. C3S attributed the difference to different sea ice retrieval algorithms. Sea ice concentrations during the southern hemisphere summer were well below average in all sectors of the Southern Ocean. Startlingly, the record lows this year and in 2022 are about 30 percent below the 1981-2010 average. C3S said, these low sea ice conditions may have important implications for the stability of Antarctic ice shelves and ultimately for global sea level rise.

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WORLD NEWS CAPSULE

Now its times for business news a report-  

The Sensex declined 542 points or 0.90 percent to end at 59,806. The Nifty fell 165 points or 0.93 percent to settle at 17,590.

In the global market, most Asian shares ended lower. So, China's Shanghai Composite index shed 0.2 per cent; Hong Kong's Hang Seng index declined 0.6 per cent; South Korea's Kospi index dropped half a per cent and Singapore's Straits Times index lost 0.4 per cent. However, Japan's Nikkei-225 index rose 0.6 per cent.

In Europe, in intra-day trade,  London's FTSE-100 slipped 0.7 per cent while France's CAC-40 and Germany's DAX, traded 0.4 per cent down each.

Oil prices held steady as fears over the economic impact of rising interest rates offset a surprise drop in US crude inventories and hopes for Chinese demand. In intra-day trade, Brent crude was trading at around 82 dollars and 80 cents per barrel.

Back Home, Gold price at Multi Commodity Exchange for April contracts, was trading at around 55,000 rupees per 10 gram. Silver was trading around 62,000 rupees per kilogram for May Contracts. S.RANGABASYAM for World News, All India Radio.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE UPDATE

Russia launched missile strikes on Thursday across Ukraine, killing at least six civilians, knocking out electricity and forcing a nuclear power plant off the grid. Russia's defence ministry said it had carried out a massive retaliatory strike on Ukrainian infrastructure as payback for a cross-border raid last week on a village in Russia's Bryansk region. Ukraine said the attack had knocked out the power supply to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, severing it from the Ukrainian grid and forcing it onto emergency diesel power to prevent a meltdown. U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi appealed for a protection zone around the plant.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said 40 percent of consumers in Kyiv were left without heat. The governor of Odesa region, Maksym Marchenko, said a mass missile attack had hit an energy facility, cutting power. Kharkiv region Governor Oleh Synehubov said the city and region had been hit by 15 strikes.

Kyiv, the Black Sea port of Odesa and the second-largest city Kharkiv were all hit as missiles targeted a wide arc of targets, stretching from Zhytomyr, Vynnytsia and Rivne in the west to Dnipro and Poltava in central Ukraine.

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CRICKET-INDIA-AUS

In Cricket, having opted to bat, Australia were 255 for four at stumps against India on Day 1 of the ongoing fourth and final Test of Border Gavaskar Trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, on Thursday. Opener Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green were batting on 104 and 49 respectively at the close of play. After skipper Steve Smith opted to bat, Australia were off to a good start with the duo of Khawaja and Travis Head adding 61 runs for the first wicket. R Ashwin gave India their first breakthrough when he dismissed a positive-looking Head for 32.

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BANGLADESH-ENGLAND-T-20

Bangladesh scored an emphatic win against England in their first T20 international match played at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium at Chattogram. The host team displayed a sparkling performance in all aspects of the game to gain an edge in the three-match T20 series against England.

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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 Georgia drops bill on foreign agents after two nights of violent protests.

⦁ The Washington Post reports Israel’s military joins nationwide protests over judicial overhaul.

⦁ The Globe and Mail reports Canada rejected a visa for Chinese diplomat on foreign-interference grounds.

⦁ The Financial Times writes European Union unveils green subsidy scheme to fend off competition from US.

⦁ And, South China Morning Post says South Korea breaks China’s dominance in February to steal No 1 spot for global ship orders.

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REPEAT HEADLINES

⦁ India and Australia to further boost Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese to hold bilateral talks in New Delhi on Friday.

⦁ Sri Lanka's Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry says India and Sri Lanka working on improving cooperation in connectivity, tourism and investments.

⦁ NISAR, the largest ever advanced RADAR system jointly developed by NASA and ISRO reaches Bengaluru.

⦁ Senior Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Paudel elected as new President of Nepal.

⦁ South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to visit Japan for summit, first such visit in 12 years.

⦁ Malaysia's former Prime Minister Muhyiddin arrested on corruption charges.

⦁ And, Australia score 255 for Four wickets at stumps on Day One in first innings against India in 4th and final Test of Border Gavaskar Cricket trophy in Ahmedabad.

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

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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