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

⦁ World’s longest railway platform dedicated to the nation by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hubballi in Karnataka.

⦁ A high-level Indian parliamentary delegation attends the 146th Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in Bahrain.

⦁ Bhutan Minister for Home and Cultural Affairs Ugyen Dorji says India holding the  G20 presidency is a matter of pride for the whole of South Asia.

⦁ Saudi Space Commission delegation visits India to discuss space cooperation.

⦁ Guwahati to hold the first SAI20 Senior Officers' Meeting on the theme Blue Economy and responsible Artificial Intelligence.

⦁ In Cricket, Virat Kohli's hits 28th test century as India takes 91 run first innings lead against Australia in Ahmedabad test.

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PM-KARNATAKA

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dedicated to the nation various projects worth 520 crore rupees under the Smart city programme in the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad in Karnataka. These include new Campus of IIT Dharwad developed at the cost of 850 crore rupees, World’s longest railway platform in Hubballi station, electrification of Hospete-Hubballi-Tinaighat section and upgraded Hosapete station project. Also a foundation stone was laid for Jayadeva Hospital and Research Centre in Hubballi.

Mr Modi said, in the last nine years the number of AIIMS has gone up by three times in the country. Before 2014 there were just 360 medical colleges and in just nine years 250 new medical colleges have come up. The number of IIMs and IITs have gone up.

The Prime Minister said the National highways have seen 55 percent growth, villages are now provided housing, electricity, toilets, roads, tap water, good hospitals and schools. Broadband penetration has increased and internet prices have remained low. PM Gati Shakti master plan has resulted in rapid execution of infrastructure projects.

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DUBAI-INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION

A parliamentary delegation from India, led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, is attending the 146th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Manama, Bahrain from March 11 to 15. Upon arrival in Bahrain, the delegation was welcomed by Bahraini officials and Indian Ambassador Piyush Srivastava at the airport.

During the visit, Speaker Birla met with IPU President Duarte Pacheco and Bahraini Speaker Fawzia Zainal to discuss various issues of mutual interest and cooperation. The delegation participated in the opening ceremony of the IPU Assembly and engaged in various meetings and debates on topics such as human rights, climate change, gender equality, and terrorism.

Mr Birla addressed the general debate of the IPU Assembly on the theme of “Parliamentary leadership for more effective multilateralism that delivers peace and sustainable development for the people and planet”. He highlighted India’s achievements in combating Covid-19, promoting renewable energy, empowering women, and strengthening democracy.

On the sidelines, Speaker Birla also addressed members of the Indian diaspora in Bahrain, emphasizing the importance of their contribution in strengthening the relationship between India and Bahrain He also said the relations between the countries is a relationship based on human sensibilities and cultural values, which have been strengthened by the hard work, loyalty, diligence and dedication of the Indian Diaspora.India-Bahrain relations have acquired new dimensions in the last few years. He  further highlighted the increase in cooperation between the two countries in areas such as IT, Fintech, and Renewable Energy.

During the visit, the Speaker also met with Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Speaker of Jatiyo Sangsad of Bangladesh, to discuss strengthening parliamentary cooperation and expanding trade and economic relations between the two countries.

The IPU is a global organization of national parliaments that promotes democracy, peace, and cooperation. The Indian presence at the IPU Assembly is expected to strengthen bilateral relations between India and Bahrain and showcase India’s role as a responsible global partner.

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INDIA-BHUTAN

Bhutan Minister for Home and Cultural Affairs Ugyen Dorji said that India holding the G20 presidency is a matter of pride for the whole of South Asia, including Bhutan. The Minister made the remarks while inaugurating the cultural evening on the eve of the fourth Y-20 consultation meeting in Pune. Y20 is a forum for youth from all G20 member countries to hold dialogue over various issues.  India and Bhutan share a special bilateral relationship. Bhutan has the most significant share of the allocated budget for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) under Grants and Loans to Foreign Governments. Bhutan under the budgetary plans will receive 2,400.58 crore rupees out of which 1,632.24 crore rupees will be a grant and 768.34 crore rupees will be a part of a loan. Bhutan will receive financial assistance from India for a number of development projects in the fields of health, digitisation and other sectors.

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SAI-20-GUWAHATI

The first Supreme Audit Institution 20 (SAI20) Senior Officers Meeting (SOM) will begin in Guwahati on Monday with the themes -‘Blue Economy’ and ‘Responsible Artificial Intelligence’. The SAI20 is aimed at bringing together an ecosystem wherein SAIs are active partners in governance, promoting transparency and accountability.

The delegates from G20 member countries, guest countries and other International Organisations would attend the SAI20 event. SAIs of Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Oman, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and UAE will be participating in person.

Blue Economy is the Sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of our ecosystem. Responsible AI is a governance framework aimed at what data can be collected and used, how AI models should be evaluated, and how to best deploy and monitor models. The framework can also define who is accountable for any negative outcomes of AI.

In line with this, during the course of SOM in Guwahati, SAI India shall present and introduce the concept themes of Blue Economy and Responsible AI. There shall be further sharing of experiences by the participant SAIs including member SAIs and guest SAIs of G20.

The SAI20 Engagement Group of G20 was established in 2022 during Indonesia’s Presidency of the G20 to enhance economic governance through collaborative oversight. This engagement group aspires to support SAIs members to be future-ready in the face of rapid changes in the audit environment through policy dialogue and identification of best practices in the public sector audit ecosystem.

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SAUDI-SPACE COMMISSION

A high-level delegation from the Saudi Space Commission, led by CEO Dr. Mohammed Saud Al-Tamimi, recently visited India from March 6 to 10 to hold discussions on space cooperation. The delegation engaged in wide-ranging talks with various entities in India, including the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Indian companies involved in the space sector such as New Space India Limited and Centum Electronics.

During the visit, Dr. Al-Tamimi met with S. Somanath, Chairman of ISRO , and visited the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, Thiruvananthapuram and the U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru. The delegation also visited the Indian Institute of Space Sciences and Technology, and a technical team separately visited the National Remote Sensing Center.

Space cooperation is an important area of engagement between India and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and this visit is expected to further deepen their cooperation in this field. Chairman of ISRO extended an invitation to Dr. Al-Tamimi to attend the G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting scheduled for July 2023 in Bengaluru. Dr. Al-Tamimi also invited the Chairman to participate in the Space Economy Forum planned for the end of this year in Saudi Arabia.

The visit is seen as a positive step towards strengthening the partnership between the two countries in the space sector.

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HOTSPOT

In today's hotspot section we bring you a Discussion on 'Resumption of Saudi Arabia-Iran diplomatic ties and it's impact on geo-politics'. In conversation with Dr. Sheel Kant Sharma , Former Ambassador and  International Affairs Analyst, Simran Sodhi, Journalist.

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G20 WEEKLY ROUNDUP

The month of March is filled with a plethora of G20 events under India's presidency. Let's have a bird's eye view of all the events scheduled for the month of March that include some prominent meets like the G20Sherpa meet and the International Financial Architecture Meet as well.

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OSCARS

The 95th Academy Awards ceremony, also called Oscars, is set to take place in Los Angeles and it will be aired on Monday morning in India.

Oscars this time will be extra special for the Indian audience as the country has been nominated in as many as three categories including Best Original Song where RRR's Naatu Naatu will compete with other global hits.

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J&K-HIDEOUT BUSTED

In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Police busted a hideout of illicit arms & ammunition in Hangnikoot area of Vilgam in Kupwara district on Sunday. According to the Police, on the basis of specific inputs, a search operation was launched in Shalnar Hangnikoot area during which a huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from a hideout. A case under relevant sections of law has been registered at Police Station Vilgam, and further investigation is on.

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CRICKET

In cricket, India were all out for 571 in their first innings against Australia on day four of the final test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy in Ahmedabad.

Virat Kohli hit a Test century in more than three years and narrowly missed the double ton, as he got out at the individual score of 186. Kohli had a good support from Axar Patel, who scored 79 runs. They had the highest 162 run partnership for hosts. Axar was also the third highest scorer for India. Earlier, Shubman Gill’s sparkling century gave India a solid standing in the game.

India resumed their first innings at the overnight score of 289 for 3 this morning.

Australia were 3 at nill in their second innings, at stumps on day four. They scored 480 in their first innings.

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REPEAT HEADLINES

⦁ World’s longest railway platform dedicated to the nation by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hubballi in Karnataka.

⦁ A high-level Indian parliamentary delegation attends the 146th Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in Bahrain.

⦁ Bhutan Minister for Home and Cultural Affairs Ugyen Dorji says India holding the  G20 presidency is a matter of pride for the whole of South Asia.

⦁ Saudi Space Commission delegation visits India to discuss space cooperation.

⦁ Guwahati to hold the first SAI20 Senior Officers' Meeting on the theme Blue Economy and responsible Artificial Intelligence.

⦁ In Cricket, Virat Kohli's hits 28th test century as India takes 91 run first innings lead against Australia in Ahmedabad test.

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

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

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