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:

⦁ India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviews progress in construction of various infrastructure projects on northern border areas of country.

⦁ India successfully conducts two flight tests of Very Short Range Air Defence System off Odisha coast.

⦁ First international conference of SCO on Shared Buddhist Heritage begins in New Delhi.

⦁ India emerges as first responder in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief at global level, says Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan.

⦁ More than hundred people killed in cyclone-hit African countries of Malawi and Mozambique.

⦁ US and allies unveil nuclear-powered submarine plan for Australia to counter China's ambitions in Indo-pacific region.

⦁ And, China to resume issuing various categories of visas for foreigners from 15th March.

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RAJNATH-BORDER AREA PROJECT

India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting in New Delhi to review the progress in construction of various infrastructure projects on the northern border areas. During the meting, he called for expediting all pending projects on top priority. Mr Singh said that whole of nation approach should be adopted in matters of national security. He said, government has decided to set up a committee of Secretaries which will meet at frequent intervals to fast-track the pending projects.

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GOVT-DRUG SMUGGLING

The Government of India has taken various steps to tackle drug smuggling in the border areas. India's Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said this in a written reply to a question in the Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday. Mr Rai said, detailed vulnerability mapping has been carried out along the border to strengthen surveillance by deploying additional Special Surveillance Equipments and other available resources in the vulnerable patches.

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DRDO-MISSILE TEST

India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Tuesday conducted two consecutive successful flight tests of Very Short Range Air Defence System missile. The test flight was conducted at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha. The flight tests were carried out from a ground-based man portable launcher against high speed unmanned aerial targets, mimicking approaching and receding aircraft. The Indian Defence Ministry said, the targets were successfully intercepted, meeting all mission objectives. The missile is a Man Portable Air Defence System meant for neutralising low altitude aerial threats at short ranges. It has been designed and developed indigenously. The Indian Defence Minister complimented DRDO and industry partners saying the missile equipped with novel technologies will give further technological boost to the Armed Forces.

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JAISHANKAR-FRENCH DELEGATION

Former French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe met External Affairs Minister of India Dr S Jaishankar in New Delhi on Tuesday. In a tweet, Dr Jaishankar said, they discussed the transformations underway in India as well as the global strategic situation. A delegation from Foreign Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly also met Dr Jaishankar. In a tweet, the External Affairs Minister said, it reflected the strong bilateral collaboration between India and France. The discussion ranged from climate change, energy, Indo-Pacific and Ukraine conflict.

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SCO-BUDDHIST HERITAGE

The first international conference of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Shared Buddhist Heritage began in New Delhi on Tuesday with focus on India’s civilizational connect with the SCO nations. The aim of the two-day 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 has brought together Central Asian, East Asian, South Asian and Arab countries on a common platform to discuss Shared Buddhist Heritage. Speaking on the occasion, Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy said that the conference will not only celebrate Buddhist common heritage but will also build stronger and deeper bonds amongst the countries. He also said that Buddhism with its profound vision of eternal harmony in the world has spread far and wide and it touched the lives of inhabitants in all the SCO countries centuries ago.

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SCO YOUTH COUNCIL

The 16th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Youth Council was held in hybrid mode in New Delhi on Tuesday, under the chairmanship of India. Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur inaugurated the SCO Youth Council meeting. During the meeting, the SCO Member States shared information on the activities of the SCO Youth Council in 2022-2023. They noted the high level of participation and the interest shoby the youth delegates of the SCO member states in the discussion held during the Conference. SCO is a permanent intergovernmental organization which was established in 2001. SCO has eight member States - India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India became a full member of SCO on 9th June, 2017.

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GUWAHATI- SAI20

Comptroller and Auditor General of India(CAG), Girish Chandra Murmu stressed on the need for collaboration for developing and strengthening accountability frameworks in the Blue Economy and Responsible Artificial Intelligence. Mr Murmu was giving valedictory address as chair for the first Supreme Audit Institutions 20 (SAI20) Senior Official Meeting in Guwahati. Under the Indian Presidency of the G20, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India as the chair for SAI20, the engagement group of Supreme Audit Institutions of the G20, organised the Senior Official Meeting in Guwahati. Mr. Murmu appreciated the wealth of knowledge gained during the deliberations on the priority areas of Blue Economy and Responsible Artificial Intelligence. The CAG informed that the delegates from the SAI20 member broadly agreed to the Zero draft of the Communique and provided their valuable thoughts and suggestions to bring out an inclusive, decisive, and action-oriented Communique for the SAI20 summit scheduled to be held in Goa in June this year.

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HOTSPOT

In today's hotspot section we bring you a news commentary on India at the Oscars.

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PM-SIKH COMMUNITY

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has greeted Sikh community around the world on the commencement of Nanakshahi Sammat 555. He expressed hope that the coming year will be filled with happiness, wonderful health and prosperity.

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CDS-HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

India has emerged as a first responder in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief at global level. This was stated by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan while addressing a workshop virtually on Humanitarian Assistance, Disaster Relief, Risk Mitigation and Disaster Resilience in New Delhi. The workshop was organized as part of India's Chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and was attended by speakers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Belarus, Mongolia, Pakistan and China along with speakers from Russia in the virtual mode. The Chief of Defence Staff said, in keeping with India's cultural beliefs of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - the whole world is one family, India has been playing an important role in providing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. He further said that the timely launch of Operation Dost following the recent earthquake in Turkiye is a testimony to India’s willingness to extend help to all possible corners of the globe.

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CYCLONE FREDDY

More than 100 people were killed in Malawi and Mozambique as cyclone Freddy, packed powerful winds and torrential rain. Freddy barrelled through Southern Africa at the weekend for the second time in a few weeks, making a comeback after it first hit in late February. Malawi bore the brunt, counting at least 99 deaths after mudslides overnight washed away houses and sleeping occupants. Another 134 people were injured while 16 are reported missing. Malawi’s commercial capital Blantyre recorded 85 deaths. President Lazarus Chakwera declared a state of disaster in the Southern region of the nation. The government has appealed for local and international aid for affected families.

In neighboring Mozambique, at least 10 people died and 14 were wounded. The Mozambique National Institute for Disaster Management said, the fallout from the storm’s second landfall in the country was worse than expected. According to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization, Freddy, which formed off northwestern Australia in the first week of February, was set to become what is believed to be the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record. The UN said, more than 11,000 people were affected by the storm.

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ISRAEL-JUDICIAL REFORMS

The Israeli parliament on Tuesday approved at its first reading, a bill limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to overturn laws it deems unconstitutional, a key element of a judicial reform package that has fuelled months of protests. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, introduced its judicial reform package in January. In another win for Mr Netanyahu, the Parliament, late on Monday night, also advanced a bill that would make it harder to remove the Prime Minister over the corruption charges that still hang over him. Mr Netanyahu and his coalition allies have pledged to plough ahead with the legal changes despite demonstrations by tens of thousands of Israeli protesters over the past two months.

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AUKUS

The United States, Australia and Britain have announced the plan of providing Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines. The move was a major step towards countering the ambitions of China in the Indo-Pacific. In a joint statement, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the plan for the AUKUS project at the US naval base in San Diego in California. At the ceremony, PM Albanese said that the purchase of US nuclear-powered submarines and the target of constructing its ovessels marks the biggest investment ever made in the defence sector in the history of the country.

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US-NORTH KOREA

The United States has raised concern over a possible 7th nuclear test by North Korea, urging the international community to take concerted action in response to such a destabilising event. In his final address to media briefing as the spokesperson of the US State Department, spokesperson Ned Price said, North Korea has finalized all of the steps it would need to take to conduct what would be its 7th nuclear test. In the meantime, North Korea fired two strategic cruise missiles from a submarine in waters off its east coast over the weekend in an apparent protest over a regular South Korea-US combined military exercise to begin this week.

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CHINA-VISAS

After three years of travel ban, China has announced that it will resume issuing various categories of visas for foreigners starting from Wednesday, the latest step in the country’s emergence from strict zero-Covid controls which have weighed on the country’s economic growth. China cancelled all the visas in March 2020 after COVID-19 pandemic ripped Chinese cities and spread across the globe. 

"The announcement comes as the new Chinese leadership led by President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang ushered into a fresh five-year term after concluding the annual parliamentary session on Monday. It says, foreigners with valid visas issued before March 28, 2020 will be allowed to enter China. The country will also resume visa-free entry for several places, including Hainan Island, Guangdong, Guilin and for cruise ships that stop in Shanghai. Many Chinese embassies have started issuing notifications to this effect. Anshuman Mishra, AIR News Beijing, for World News All India Radio Beijing."

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RS-OMICRON VARIANTS

India has said that during the last four months, more than 1900 Omicron sub-variants have been detected amongst the samples analyzed across the country. In a written reply in the the Upper House of Parliament on Tuesday, India's Minister of State for Health Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar said, in light of increasing trajectory of COVID-19 cases noted in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand and Japan, an additional requirement of pre-departure testing and uploading of negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test reports and self-health declaration form on Air Suvidha portal was made mandatory in the past for travellers coming from and transiting via these countries.

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NEPAL-VP ELECTION

The silence period for the election of the Vice President of Nepal will commence from Tuesday midnight. According to the Election Commission of Nepal, the election silence commences 48 hours before the day of voting and it will remain in effect until the closure of the polling centre. No election-related publicity and promotional activities are allowed to be held during the election silence or pre-election silence. The voting for the election of the Vice President is scheduled to take place on 17th of March. The election silence period aims to ensure the election be held in a free, fair, transparent and safe manner.  

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LS-PRESS FREEDOM

The government of India reiterated that it does not interfere in the functioning of the press and is committed to uphold its freedom in the country. In a written reply in the Lower House of Parliament on Press Freedom Index, India's Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said the Government does not subscribe to the views of The World Press Freedom Index published by the foreign NGO. Reporters Without Borders. He said the Centre does agree to the conclusion draby the organization for various reasons including very low sample size, low weightage to fundamentals of democracy and adoption of methodology which is questionable and non-transparent.

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ED-SRINAGAR

India's Enforcement Directorate, (ED) on Tuesday carried out search operations at 10 locations in Srinagar, Budgam, Kupwara and Anantnag districts in Jammu and Kashmir. The search operations were conducted against the educational consultancies for arranging admission of J&K students for various professional courses in Pakistan based colleges, institutions and universities. As per the statement, ED said that search operations was carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED said persons who were involved accumulating funds for terror activities on the pretext of admission of J&K students in Pakistan.

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GOVT-STARTUPS SVB

Indian Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday interacted with over 450 startups owned or co-owned by Indians, Venture Capitalists, Industry leaders and others stakeholders on the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank through video conferencing. He assured them that the Narendra Modi Government is laser-focused on helping them tide over this crisis. The Minister of State for Electronics and IT said, Indian banking system is robust and suggested that they could explore using it. He said, while startups have a natural incentive to use banks like Silicon Valley Bank, there is a need to figure out a way to use the Indian banking system without changing the business model. This consultation was part of the government’s approach to address the situation and offer any assistance to members of India’s innovation and startup ecosystem who had financial holdings in Silicon Valley Bank.  

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WORLD NEWS CAPSULE

India's key domestic indicies witnessed losses on Tuesday for the fourth straight session. The Sensex and the Nifty, both fell amid negative global cues. A report from the business desk-  

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"The Sensex declined 338 points, or 0.58 percent, to close at 57,900. The Nifty also fell 111 points, or 0.65 percent, to finish at 17,043. Asian shares ended with losses amid fear of financial crises and negative cues form US markets. South Korea’s KOSPI plunged 2.6 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng declined 2.3 percent and Japan's NIKKEI-225 fell 2.2 percent. China’s Shanghai Composite index slipped 0.7 percent and Singapore's Strait Times ended marginally doby 0.1 percent. European shares were up in intra-day trade. Global crude oil prices dropped around one and half  percent. It extended the previous day's slide, as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank rattled equity markets and sparked fear about a fresh financial crisis. In intra-day trade, Brent crude was trading at around 79 dollars and 70 cents per barrel. Back Home, the Gold price at Multi Commodity Exchange for April contracts was trading at around 57,530 rupees per 10 gram. Silver was trading around 66,230 rupees per kilogram for May Contracts, when reports last came in. ANUBHA ROHATAGI for World News, All India Radio."

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Pi DAY

International day of Mathematics or Pi Day was celebrated on Tuesday. The day is celeberated on 14th of March every year to recognise the mathematical constant, Pi, which defines the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. We have a report:

"The value for Pi is 3.14. For people who follow the month and date format, 14th March represents the value of Pi that is 3-14. The day was recognised in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw as he organised a large-scale celebration at the San Francisco Exploratorium in the United States. It was first celebrated by cutting a Pi-shaped pie, and the recitation of the value of pi to as many decimal places as possible. It is celebrated by mathematics enthusiasts around the globe to recognise and appreciate the importance of mathematics in our daily lives. The day is celebrated by various schools, universities, and mathematics organisations globally with a unique theme with an aim of promoting mathematics education and awareness. The value of Pi was first calculated by a mathematician named Archimedes of Syracuse. It was later accepted by the scientific community when Leonhard Euler used the symbol of Pi in 1737. People in Egypt believed that the pyramids of Giza were built on the principles of pi. The ratio between the height of the pyramids and the perimeter of their base is the same as that between a circle's radius and circumference. In 2019, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in its 40th General Conference decided to observe Pi Day as International Mathematics Day. It also coincides with the birth anniversary of scientist Albert Einstein. Widely renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking died on this day in 2018. The theme for Pi Day this year is "Mathematics for Everyone", proposed by Marco Zarco Rotairo from Philippines'. ANUJA KUMAR FOR AIR NEWS.

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PRASAR BHARTI CEO-UAE

Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi, during his two-day visit to Abu Dhabi met various stakeholders in the media landscape of the capital of United Arab Emirates. During his meeting with Director-General of Emirates News Agency, Jalal Al Rayssi, Mr Dwivedi emphasised the need for a comprehensive plan for content exchange and to intensify cooperation in wide-ranging areas including Joint production and mutual cooperation in the field of training and infrastructure sharing. Mr Dwivedi stated that during their meeting, they agreed to cooperate in joint production, content sharing, training in media and technology, and expanding the presence of Doordarshan, India's state television channel, in the UAE.

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WPL:

In Women's Premier League Cricket, the 12th match, between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants is underway in Mumbai. Chasing the target of 163 runs set by Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Giants were 98 for 9 in 18 when reports last came in. Earlier, Mumbai Indians posted 162 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in stipulated 20 overs.

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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, Global regulators grapple with fallout of Silicon Valley Bank collapse.

⦁ South China Morning Post reports, US sanctions boost China’s R&D investment and output in some hi-tech fields: Chinese study.

⦁ The Financial Times writes Joe Biden to visit Ireland on anniversary of Good Friday Agreement.

⦁ The Japan Times reports, Deeply scarred Iraq still far from U.S.-envisioned liberal democracy.

⦁ And, The Japan Times opines, The Arctic is the latest arena for NATO and Russia to flex their military muscle.

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REPEAT HEADLINES

⦁ India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviews progress in construction of various infrastructure projects on northern border areas of country.

⦁ India successfully conducts two flight tests of Very Short Range Air Defence System off Odisha coast.

⦁ First international conference of SCO on Shared Buddhist Heritage begins in New Delhi.

⦁ India emerges as first responder in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief at global level, says Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan.

⦁ More than hundred people killed in cyclone-hit African countries of Malawi and Mozambique.

⦁ US and allies unveil nuclear-powered submarine plan for Australia to counter China's ambitions in Indo-pacific region.

⦁ And, China to resume issuing various categories of visas for foreigners from 15th March.

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

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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