NATIONAL NEWS
Dish TV’s ropes Rishabh Pant as its brand ambassador
Dish TV India, has announced the appointment of Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant as brand ambassador. Pant will feature in the brand’s 360-degree communication for the next two years. This investment in the D2H brand is going to make it even stronger. The close affinity between D2H brand and Rishabh Pant as brand ambassadors will enable deeper engagement of D2H with its TG. Rishabh has quickly developed into a distinctive entertainer on the cricket field, with his boundless energy behind the stumps and innovation in shot-making. He brings a spark each time he enters the field and appeals to the huge 18-35 age group across the country, our core audience.
India’s NIUA and WEF to collaborate on sustainable cities development programme
World Economic Forum (WEF) and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on a jointly designed ‘Sustainable Cities India program’. The program aims to create an enabling environment for cities to generate decarbonization solutions across the energy, transport, and built environment sectors. This initiative is particularly noteworthy as it comes after the Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated India’s commitment to turn net-zero by 2070 as a climate mitigation response at COP26.
Moody’s revised India’s growth estimates to 9.5% in CY2022
Moody’s has revised India’s economic growth estimates in the Current Year 2022 upwards to 9.5 per cent from 7 per cent on stronger than expected recovery after a lockdown in 2020 and Covid-19’s Delta wave in 2021. It maintained a forecast for 5.5 per cent growth in CY2023. In its update on Global Macro Outlook 2022-23 today, Moody’s said sales tax collection, retail activity and Purchasing Managers Index suggest solid momentum. However, high oil prices and supply distortions remain a drag on growth for India.
India receives three more Rafale Fighter Jets from France
Three more Rafale fighter aircraft landed in India from France, with Indian specific enhancements. With this new arrival of the three jets, the total Rafale fleet with Indian Air Force (IAF) has reached 35. The 36th and final aircraft will arrive in India from France by March- April 2022, and will be a trainer aircraft. In September 2016, India exchanged a Rs 59,000 crore deal with France for 36 Rafale fighter jets. The first batch of five Rafale jets had arrived in India on July 29 last year. India and France had signed the inter-government agreement in 2016, under which Paris agreed to provide 36 Rafale fighter jets to New Delhi.
Army Chief MM Naravane presents President’s Colours to four parachute battalions
Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane has presented Presidential Colours to four parachute battalions at Parachute Regiment Training Centre in Bengaluru. The four battalions are the 11 Para (Special Forces), 21 Para (Special Forces), 23 Para, and 29 Para battalions. The award of President’s Colours or the ‘Nishan’ is one of the highest honours bestowed upon a military unit in recognition of its exceptional service to the nation, both during the war and in peace. The Parachute Regiment is an elite force of the Indian Army and holds an impeccable record in battle, both before and after Independence. It has been conferred with 51 Battle Honours, one Victoria Cross, 28 Military Medals (MM), 11 Distinguished Service Orders (DSO), 40 Indian Distinguished Service Medals (IDSM) and 40 Military Cross (MC) up to independence.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Ssecurity Council vote sets up emergency UN General Assembly session on Ukraine crisis
The measure convening the General Assembly session was adopted by a vote of 11 in favor, with Russia voting against, and China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstaining. The request for urgent by the Assembly comes after Russia vetoed on Friday a US-led draft Security Council resolution that would have ‘deplored in the strongest terms the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine’. Since the text was procedural, none of the five permanent Council members – China France, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States – could use their vetoes. The measure needed only nine votes in favor to pass. Only 10 such emergency special sessions of the General Assembly have been convened since 1950, following the adoption of resolution 377A(V), widely known as ‘Uniting for Peace.’ That text gives the Assembly the power to take up matters of international peace and security when the Security Council is unable to act because of the lack of unanimity among its five veto-wielding permanent members.
Saudi Arabia confirms its commitment to the ‘OPEC Plus’ accord with Russia.
Saudi Arabia remains committed to OPEC+ agreement, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told French President Emmanuel Macron Feb. 27, in an endorsement for the bloc’s alliance with Russia amid that nation’s invasion of Ukraine. In the call, the two leaders discussed the Ukraine crisis and its impact on energy markets, according to a report carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. In this regard, his highness the crown prince affirmed the kingdom’s keenness on the stability and balance of oil markets and the kingdom’s commitment to the OPEC+ agreement, the report said. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent crude prices to near $100/b, and intensifying sanctions by the West on Moscow have raised questions about whether OPEC countries such as Saudi Arabia would be willing to step up production to help moderate prices, as the US and other key crude customers have urged. The sanctions, which include bans on Russian banks from accessing the SWIFT international payment system, could also jeopardize OPEC’s ties with Russia. The OPEC+ alliance next meets March 2 to decide on April output levels. OPEC ministers have so far indicated they plan to stick with their planned modest production increases each month, pointing to geopolitics – and not any supply shortage – as underpinning the recent surge in oil prices.
