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's Naatu Naatu song from film RRR and documentary short film The Elephant Whisperers win Oscar in 95th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

• Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe to visit India from 14th to 17th of March to boost bilateral economic ties.

• Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Paudel sworn-in as President of Nepal.

• South Korea and United States kick off their largest joint military exercises.

• Mastermind of Karachi Police Office attack killed in encounter.

• Bangladesh Rapid Action Battalion arrests nine members of  terror outfit Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya.

• Fourth and final test match of border-Gavaskar trophy between India and Australia ends in a draw in Ahmedabad.

• India qualify for World Cricket Test Championship final; To Face Australia at Oval in London from June 7 to 11.

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OSCAR

At the 95th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, India's 'Naatu Naatu song' from SS Rajamouli's film RRR today created history by winning an Oscar for the best original song.

Another Indian entry in the Academy Awards 'The Elephant Whisperers' also won an Oscar in the Best Documentary Short Film category. This 41 minute short documentary film by filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves and producer Guneet Monga, explores the bond between Raghu, an orphaned baby elephant, and his caretakers. We have a desk report:

"The most prestigious Oscar Awards ceremony, brought a special sunrise for Asia. While Indian film "RRR" became the first Indian feature film to win an Oscar for its song "Naatu Naatu". The Elephant Whisperers won Oscar for best documentary short film. And history created when Everything Everywhere All At Once, also from Asia, swept the awards, winning in seven categories, including best picture, best actress and best supporting actor.

Before winning the award, Naatu Naatu song, was also performed on stage amidst big applause. Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, who introduced the performance, called the song "a total banger."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, the popularity of 'Naatu Naatu' is global and it will be remembered for years to come.

Composer of the song, M.M. Keeravani and lyricist Chandrabose received the award.

Keervaani said, he grew up listening to The Carpenters and went on to sing his acceptance speech to the tune of "Top of the World" by The Carpenters.

"Naatu Naatu" beat Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand," and Rihanna's "Lift Me Up". It was the first song from an Indian production to ever be nominated for an Oscar.

Coming to Everything Everywhere All At Once. The lead actress Michelle Yeoh made history becoming first woman of Asian descent to win an Oscar for best actress. Yeoh was among four Asian actors nominated for Oscars this year, the most ever. Her co star Ke Huy Quan won the best supporting actor award. The movie also won in the category of best picture, best director, original screenplay, supporting actress, and editing category. Tripti Srivastava, News Desk."

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FORMER FRENCH PM VISIT

Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe will visit India from the 14th of March to the 17th of March to boost bilateral economic ties, particularly cooperation on ports, and decentralised cooperation between local governments. He is currently the Mayor of Le Havre, France’s largest commercial port city.

During his visit, Edouard Philippe will travel to Delhi and Mumbai. Philippe will hold a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to exchange views on tackling major global challenges at a time when India holds the G20 Presidency and the outlook for the France-India strategic partnership, which marks its 25th anniversary this year.

He will meet Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal to discuss ports cooperation, particularly with regard to the implementation of the Indo-French Roadmap on the Blue Economy and Ocean Governance.

Notably, Edouard Philippe served as the Prime minister of French President Emmanuel Macron’s government from May 2017 to July 2020. During that period, the two nations witnessed the deepening of the Indo-French strategic partnership and the launch of France’s Indo-Pacific strategy.

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RS-EXPORT DEFENCE

Over 59 thousand crore rupees worth of defence exports have been made by the country since the financial year 2017-18. This was stated by India's Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on Monday. He said, defence exports worth over 13 thousand crore rupees have been made in this financial year. Defence exports are being made to more than 80 countries all over the world.

The Minister said, the government has taken various steps to improve Indian defence products and make them globally competitive. He said, the government has focused on the indigenisation of various defence items to achieve self-reliance. He said, the new technologies developed by DRDO are transferred to the industries on a regular basis.

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LS-WORKFORCE

The Indian government has estimated that there will be a global demand for nearly 3.7 million skilled and trained workforce in the coming five years in 16 countries. This information was given by Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Monday.

He said National Skill Development Corporation (International) has conducted a study to ascertain skilled workforce requirements including Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Singapore, Sweden, the United States of America, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

Mr Pradhan said his ministry is providing up-skilling and reskilling opportunities to the youth, including returned expatriates, through various skilling initiatives.

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OVERSEAS TOURISM OFFICE

The Indian government has decided to wind up all the Overseas India Tourism Offices before the end of this month. In a written reply, the Minister of Tourism G Kishan Raddy said in Lok Sabha that the total number of sanctioned posts in Overseas India Tourism Offices is thirty-one and six officers are presently posted in Overseas India Tourism Offices. He further said that the Ministry of External Affairs has designated Tourism Officers in all the important source markets so as to carry out overseas promotional activities to promote India as a holistic destination in the tourism generating markets to increase India’s share of the global tourism market.

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BUDDHIST HERITAGE – SCO

An international conference on Shared Buddhist Heritage will be held in New Delhi on Tuesday with a focus on India’s civilisational connect with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) nations 2023. The aim of the conference is to re-establish trans-cultural links and seek out commonalities, between Buddhist art of Central Asia, art styles, archaeological sites and antiquity in various museum collections of the SCO countries.

The event, under India’s leadership of SCO, will bring together Central Asian, East Asian, South Asian and Arab countries on a common platform to discuss Shared Buddhist Heritage. The SCO countries comprise Member States, Observer States and Dialogue Partners, including China, Russia and Mongolia. The two-day programme is being organised by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of External Affairs and the International Buddhist Confederation. A number of Indian scholars of Buddhism will also participate in the event.

Participants will also have the opportunity to tour some of the historical sites of Delhi.

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SONOWAL - YOGA MAHOTSAV

India's Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday stressed utilising yoga for world peace and the betterment of humanity.  Inaugurating the Yoga Mahotsav 2023 at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi, Mr Sonowal lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for enabling the country's leadership in Yoga, Ayurveda and traditional knowledge healthcare systems.

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HOTSPOT

In today's hotspot section we bring you a news commentary on Takeaways from Australian Prime Minister visit to India..

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NEPAL PRESIDENT OATH

Newly-elected President of Nepal Ram Chandra Paudel took the oath of office and secrecy on Monday at Sheetal Niwas in Kathmandu.

The Office of the President hosted a special ceremony at Sheetal Niwas to administer the oath to President-elect Paudel, after which political leaders, dignitaries and ambassadors of different countries in Nepal came to congratulate the new President. More from our correspondent:

"Ram Chandra Paudel, veteran Nepali congress leader, was elected the President of Nepal by the electoral college on March 9 defeating Subash Chandra Nembang.  Acting Chief Justice of Nepal Hari Krishna Karki administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-elected President of Nepal. The Constitution of Nepal has a provision that there would be a President in the country and the President as a patron of the Constitution shall work to promote national unity. It is the President's main responsibility to comply with and protect the Constitution.

The country had adopted the practice of the President System with the establishment of a republic as an outcome of the 2006 April Uprising in Nepal which led to the demolition of the 240-year-old Monarchy. According to the Constitution of Nepal, the term of the President is five years from the date of his/her election to the post, and the person can not be elected as a President for more than two terms. Sweta Singh/Kathmandu."

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JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE-US-SK

South Korea and the United States on Monday kicked off their largest joint military exercises in five years. The US-South Korea exercises, called Freedom Shield, are scheduled to run for 11 days and will focus on the changing security environment.  The drills between the two nations include a computer simulation and several combined field training exercises. South Korean officials said the field exercises would be scaled back to the size of the allies' previous largest field training, which was held in 2018.

Meanwhile, North Korea test-fired two strategic cruise missiles from a submarine on Sunday in an apparent protest of the drills it views as an invasion rehearsal.

The U.S. and South Korea say the exercises are in self-defence and are necessary to counter the rising threats from North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes, which are banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions.

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PAKISTAN-MASTERMIND KILLED

In Pakistan, the mastermind of the 17th of February terror attack on the Karachi Police Office and his accomplice were killed during an encounter, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said on Monday.

Iriadullah, the mastermind behind the attack, was gunned down after the CTD acted on a tip-

off near the Northern Bypass in the Manghopir area of the metropolis. The two terrorists, including the mastermind, were killed during an exchange of fire, while two others were arrested, the CTD officials said. Iriadullah, according to the CTD, was a commander of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Karachi, while the second terrorist killed was identified as Abdul Waheed.

Last month, three terrorists with suicide jackets entered the multi-storey Karachi Police Office building. All three terrorists were killed in the operation and four persons, including two policemen and a Sindh Rangers sub-inspector, also died in the operation that lasted for more than four hours.

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PAK-POLLS

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Sunday postponed by-polls on 37 National Assembly seats, scheduled for 16th of this month in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Islamabad, in compliance with the orders issued by various courts.

By-polls were scheduled to be held in over 60 National Assembly seats this month.

The National Assembly seats fell vacant as the electoral watchdog de-notified Imran Khan led Pakistan Tehrike-e-Insaf lawmakers after Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf accepted their resignations. More than 120 Members of the National Assembly belonging to the PTI tendered their resignations en masse after Imran Khan's government was ousted through a no-confidence motion in April last year.

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BANGLADESH-ARREST

The law enforcement agency of Bangladesh Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested nine members of the recently formed terror outfit Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya from the hilly Bandarban area in the Southeastern part of the country. Didar Hossain, alias Masum, who is the training commander of Jama’atul Ansar was also arrested along with eight of his other accomplices, said the Legal and Media Wing Director of RAB, Khandaker Al Moin to the media on Monday. He said that RAB recovered a cache of arms and ammunition during the drive conducted in the Tonkaborti area of Bandarban. He further said that the newly formed terror group has been receiving training and arms from the separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) active in the Bandarban area.

The Rapid Action Battalion has been conducting a special drive against the terror groups active in the Bandarban Hill area for over six months now. Till now 68 members of the new militant outfits have been arrested. Thirty-eight people were arrested from the Chattogram Hill Tracts, and two of them died, said Khandker Al Moin. Seventeen members of the armed separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) have also been arrested so far. He said that the law enforcement agencies came to know about the new terror outfit Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya while they were investigating the case of the sudden disappearance of some youths from their homes last year. Earlier, in January, RAB had arrested two top-ranking functionaries of the terror group from the Kutupalong Rohingya Camp in Cox’s Bazar.

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US-SV BANK

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has ruled out a bailout from the federal government for bankrupt Silicon Valley Bank. In an interview, she said that during the financial crisis, there were investors and owners of systemic large banks that were bailed out, but they are not going to do that again. The Treasury secretary said, they are concerned about depositors and are focused on trying to meet their needs.

The bank’s failure has also raised concern about a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis, but Yellen sought to reassure Americans that the collapse is an isolated incident. She emphasized that the American banking system is really safe, well-capitalized and resilient. California regulators shut down Silicon Valley Bank on Friday after depositors rushed to withdraw money last week amid concerns about its balance sheet. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was appointed receiver, and regulators are working to find a buyer for the institution, which ranked as the 16th-largest bank in the US before its failure.

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WORLD NEWS CAPSULE

Domestic share markets ended with losses for the third consecutive session today, declining around one and half a per cent amid mixed global cues. A report from the business desk-  

"The Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) dropped 897 points, or 1.52 per cent, to end at 58,238. The Nifty at the National Stock Exchange fell 259 points, or 1.49 per cent to settle at 17,154. Asian market ended mixed as the US government stepped in with a series of emergency measures to shore up confidence in the banking system following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank. American regulators have said that SVB depositors will have access to all of their money starting today. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.9 per cent, China's Shanghai Composite rose 1.2 per cent and South Korea's Kospi closed up by 0.7 per cent. However, Singapore's Straits Times declined 1.4 per cent, and Japan's Nikkei-225 slipped 1.1 per cent. European markets were trading lower in intra-day trade. Oil prices fell for the fifth consecutive session as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the United States raised fears of a fresh financial crisis, but a recovery in Chinese demand provided support. In intra-day trade, Brent crude was trading at around 81 dollars and 43 cents per barrel. Back Home, the Gold price at Multi Commodity Exchange for April contracts was trading at around 56,978 rupees per 10 gram. Silver was trading at around 64,750 rupees per kilogram for May Contracts when reports last came in. for World News, All India Radio."

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IND-AUS-TEST

The fourth and final test match of the Border-Gavaskar trophy between India and Australia ended in a draw at Ahmedabad on Monday. In their second inning, the visitors scored 175 for two wickets.

On Sunday, with the help of Virat Kohli's century of 186 runs, the hosts scored 571.  Kohli had good support from Axar Patel, who scored 79 runs. They had the highest 162-run partnership. Axar was also the third-highest scorer for India. Earlier, Shubman Gill’s sparkling century gave India a solid standing in the game.

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INDIA-WTC

India booked their place in the final of the World Test Championship and will face Australia after New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by 2 wickets in Christchurch.

The ICC in a tweet said that Australia and India will face off in the World Test Championship final at the Oval from 7th of June to 11th of June.

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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 Washington Post reports, Biden says the banking system is safe after failure of Silicon Valley Bank.

• The Globe and Mail reports, China diverts some researchers to Canada after U.S. visa denials.

• The Financial Times writes Xi Jinping vows to make Chinese military great wall of steel as tensions rise with west.

• South China Morning Post reports global financial activities see gravity shift from Western hubs towards Asia.

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A QUICK LOOK AT THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

• India's Naatu Naatu song from film RRR and documentary short film The Elephant Whisperers win Oscar in 95th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

• Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe to visit India from 14th to 17th of March to boost bilateral economic ties.

• Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Paudel sworn-in as the President of Nepal.

• South Korea and United States kick off their largest joint military exercises.

• Mastermind of Karachi Police Office attack killed in encounter.

• Bangladesh Rapid Action Battalion arrests nine members of  terror outfit Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya.

• Fourth and final test match of border-Gavaskar trophy between India and Australia ends in a draw in Ahmedabad.

• India qualify for World Cricket Test Championship final; To Face Australia at the Oval in London from June 7 to 11.

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