THE HEADLINES ::
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold bilateral meetings with several global leaders in New Delhi today on the sidelines of India AI Impact Summit.
- Prime Minister Modi invites his Bangladesh counterpart Tarique Rahman to visit India; Says looking forward to working closely.
- President Droupadi Murmu to participate in International Fleet Review 2026 in Visakhapatnam today.
- Political parties in Assam urge Election Commission to hold upcoming assembly polls in either single or maximum two phases.
- In Cricket, India to take on Netherlands in Group A match of Men’s T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad this evening.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold meetings with several global leaders today who are in New Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit. Mr Modi is scheduled to meet President of Spain Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Finland Antti Petteri Orpo, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic, President of Estonia Alar Karis, Prime Minister of Bhutan Dasho Tshering Tobgay and Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov.
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The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 is underway at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The five-day Summit is the first-ever global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South. World leaders from twenty nations are attending the event.
“On the third day of AI Impact Summit 2026, a research symposium is scheduled to be held in which President of Estonia Alar Karis, Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State, Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada, along with other dignitaries, will hold discussions. Also, the Inaugural Session and Launch of the Working Group are scheduled for the day. The session will discuss the overarching vision, priorities, and agenda of the India AI Impact Summit. A session on How AI Will Reshape Global Development beyond the SDGs is also scheduled, which will explore how AI can boost productivity, strengthen capacity, unlock development pathways, and mitigate inequality globally equitably. Recognising the strategic importance of AI, India has accorded high priority to building a robust and inclusive AI ecosystem. Initiatives such as the India AI Mission, development of AI compute infrastructure, promotion of indigenous AI models, and large-scale capacity-building programmes are laying a strong foundation for responsible and trusted AI adoption in the country. Rishu Jaiswal, Akashvani News Delhi.”
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India and France have agreed to upgrade the India-France relationship to Special Global Strategic Partnership. There were a total of 21 outcomes. Both sides agreed for establishment of annual Foreign Ministers Dialogue for regularly reviewing implementation of the elevated partnership and Horizon 2047 Roadmap. Both the nations have also agreed for the launch of India-France Year of Innovation and India-France Innovation Network. Delivering a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron at Mumbai’s Lok Bhavan, Prime Minister Modi asserted that this partnership is not only strategic, but also one for global stability and prosperity amidst today’s unstable global situation.
Mr Modi stated that relations between India and France are very special, with France being one of India’s oldest strategic partners.
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French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the 52nd G7 Summit, which will be presided over by France in 2026. In a press statement in Mumbai, Mr Macron called for an ad hoc meeting between India and France to reach an agreement on the international agenda ahead of the G7 Summit in Evian. Noting the acceleration for partnership, as India will chair the BRICS Summit, while France chairs the G7 group, he called for a moment of innovation for the youth of both the countries. The G7 Summit is an annual gathering of leaders from US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, and the European Union. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the summit on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s invitation.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited his Bangladeshi counterpart Tarique Rahman to visit India along with his family. In a letter to Mr Rahman, Mr Modi expressed his eagerness to work closely with the BNP leader to further strengthen the multifaceted bilateral relationship between the two nations. PM Modi said as two close neighbours, India and Bangladesh have a deep-rooted friendship founded on shared history, cultural ties and the aspirations of the peoples for peace and prosperity. He said, the strong convergence between our respective developmental priorities shall serve as a guiding principle for our future cooperation.
Congratulating Mr Rahman on his electoral victory, Mr. Modi described the win as a reflection of the trust and confidence placed in his leadership by the people of Bangladesh. He said the mandate represented public support for Mr Rahman’s vision of steering the country toward peace, stability, and prosperity.
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President Droupadi Murmu will review the International Fleet Review 2026 off the Visakhapatnam coast today. Our correspondent reports that this will be one of India’s largest maritime gatherings.
“As Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the President is scheduled to inspect around 70 warships, submarines and nearly 50 aircraft assembled at the Review Anchorage Area. Naval delegations from over 50 countries are participating, reflecting India’s expanding maritime partnerships. The President will embark on INS Sumedha, the designated Presidential Yacht. The highlight of the review will be India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, along with other indigenous platforms including Visakhapatnam-class destroyers and Nilgiri-class stealth frigates, underscoring the Navy’s “Builder’s Navy” vision. Governor S. Abdul Nazeer and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will accompany her. The Indian Navy conducted the final rehearsal for the International Fleet Review the previous day, ensuring full operational readiness for the ceremonial event. IFR 2026 coincides with Exercise MILAN and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Conclave, marking a major naval convergence. Held under the theme “United Through Oceans, Strengthening Bridges of Friendship,” the event highlights maritime cooperation and security in the Indo-Pacific region. Allu Murali, Akashvani News, Visakhapatnam.”
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The full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI) met representatives of recognised political parties of Assam in Guwahati yesterday. During the meeting, political parties suggested that the upcoming assembly elections in the state be held in either a single or a maximum of two phases.
“Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar along with Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi held series of meetings with representatives of political parties and senior police and district election officials in Guwahati. Most of the political parties requested for a single phase or a maximum of two phases of polling. The political parties also demanded that Election process to be concluded before Bohag Bihu, the main festival of Assamese people. The ECI team is scheduled to conclude their three day tour today. Aminul Haque Jwadder, Akashvani News, Guwahati.”
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a day-long visit to West Bengal today. Upon his arrival in Kolkata, Mr Shah will proceed to the ISKCON headquarters at Mayapur in Nadia district to commemorate the 152nd birth anniversary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. His itinerary includes a high-level meeting with Jayapataka Swami Maharaj and an address at a public gathering organized within the temple premises.
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The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear today the plea filed by Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleging interference by West Bengal government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the central agency’s recent search operations at the office of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and the residence of its co-founder Pratik Jain in Kolkata. The matter will come up for hearing before a bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and K. V. Viswanathan. The hearing was adjourned last week following a request made due to the ill health of a senior advocate.
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Iran has said it has reached an understanding with the US on the main guiding principles to resolve their dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Speaking after the second round of talks in Geneva yesterday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi added that work still needed to be done. While, the US said progress was made.
Badr Albusaidi, foreign minister of mediator Oman, said the negotiations concluded with good progress towards identifying common goals and relevant technical issues.
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In the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, three matches are scheduled for today. Defending champions India will take on Netherlands in a Group A match at in Ahmedabad. The match will start at 7 PM local time.
In the Group A, Pakistan will take on Namibia at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo at 3 PM, while in the Group D clash, South Africa will face United Arab Emirates in Delhi at 11 AM.
Meanwhile, Nepal defeated Scotland by seven wickets in Group C match in Mumbai last night. Chasing a target of 171 runs set by Scotland, Nepal made 171 for 3 in 19.2 overs. Dipendra Singh Airee was the highest scorer for Nepal. He was declared Player of the Match. Put in to bat, Scotland posted 170 runs for the loss of seven wickets in stipulated 20 overs. Nepal had won the toss and opted to field.
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In Women’s Cricket, India registered a dominant seven-wicket victory over Nepal in the Group A match of the ongoing Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament yesterday, securing a place in the semifinals. With this win, India registered their second win in Group A in three matches. India are placed at the top of the standings with four points two their name, securing two wins and one loss.
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The India Meteorological Department, IMD has forecast thunderstorm and hailstorm over Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and East Rajasthan today. Thunderstorm with lightning and gusty winds is expected over Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Rajasthan for the day. The Met Department has also predicted thunderstorm with lightning over West Madhya Pradesh. The weather agency has said dense fog conditions will prevail over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- All the dailies have covered the news of India and France upgrading their relations to a special global strategic partenership. The Times of India writes “Defence, tech ties with France get a boost as Modi hosts Macron.” The paper adds “Macron extends invite to Modi to attend G7 summit.”
- “Centre weighs social media curbs for under 16s” by ammending the rules looking at the Australian model, reports Hindustan Times.
- Another headline in Hindustan Times quoting the Supreme Court states “Surviving partner is criminally liable for abetment in suicide pact.”
- The Times of India refers to another ruling by the apex court declaring right to life cannot be traded off with economic benefits. The headline quoting the Supreme Court says “Development not at cost of health, environment.”
- The editorial in Hindustan Times writes on India’s strength in the field of Arificial Intelligence lie on the intellgence of its people rather than the countries who build the largest model. Under the headline “India must lead AI on its own terms” it says, while India does not have the deepest venture capital markets or the most advanced semi conductor fabs but the country has unmatched experience in building digital systems as it built aadhaar, UPI, ONDC as architectural solutions solely for India and not copies of Silicon Valley platforms.
- “Four states will go to polls in April; EC to announce dates mid-March” is a headline in The Asian Age.
- “Warehouses beat offices to become hottest realty bet” cites The Economic Times.
- “Tarique Rahman takes charge in Dhaka; PM sends India invitation” writes The Indian Express.
- And Finally, To combat the growing ecological stress on honeybees and other pollinators “NHAI to develop first-of-its-kind ‘Bee corridors’ along National Highways” writes The Statesman.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold bilateral meetings with several global leaders in New Delhi today on the sidelines of India AI Impact Summit.
- Prime Minister Modi invites his Bangladesh counterpart Tarique Rahman to visit India; Says looking forward to working closely.
- President Droupadi Murmu to participate in International Fleet Review 2026 in Visakhapatnam today.
- Political parties in Assam urge Election Commission to hold upcoming assembly polls in either single or maximum two phases.
- In Cricket, India to take on Netherlands in Group A match of Men’s T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad this evening.
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