New Delhi welcomes Foreign Ministers for G20 meeting amid negotiations over agenda

New Delhi welcomes Foreign Ministers for G20 meeting amid negotiations over agenda

• Government sources rejected criticism that the failure of negotiators to forge a joint statement at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ meeting reflected badly on India
• Negotiators began in-person negotiations in Delhi ahead of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM), as the government prepared to welcome Foreign Ministers and delegations from more than 30 countries, who will attend the inaugural dinner.
• The negotiations, held online by G20 Sous-Sherpa Abhay Thakur and his counterparts from the G20 countries and the invitee countries to discuss the agenda and the ongoing issues over a joint communique given the divide over the Ukraine war.

Two sessions

• The FMM will see discussions divided into two sessions, before and after lunch. While the first session will focus on the themes of Strengthening Multilateralism and Need for Reforms, Food and Energy Security and Development Cooperation, the second will focus on Counter-Terrorism: New and Emerging threats, Global Skill Mapping and Talent Pool, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief . Officials and diplomats said a joint statement remains elusive given the deep divisions between the Russia-China combine and the G7 western countries-led grouping. However, they said there will be a greater push 

Russia’s stand

• During the regular meeting, Russia intends to “firmly and openly talk about the reasons and instigators of the current serious problems in world politics and the global economy”, said the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement after the arrival of Mr. Lavrov in Delhi. Mr. Lavrov will “clearly state” the Russian assessment and “unbiased factual picture” of the “bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline” during the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting, the Ministry said.

India, Australia to sign agreement on mutual recognition of qualifications

• Australian Education Minister visit arrives ahead of Australian Prime Minister’s trip to India, during which an announcement on Deakin University’s foreign campus in India is likely
• Australian Education Minister Jason Clare arrived in Delhi leading a delegation of Australian higher education leaders to promote collaborations between the two countries. The Australian Minister is on an official visit to India, during which he will attend a student exchange programme and a series of meetings along with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to provide momentum to bilateral relations in the domain of education.
• The two Ministers will also sign the Mechanism for the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications which locks in the rules for mutual recognition to access education in both countries. “This will be the broadest and most favourable recognition agreement India has signed with another country and will enhance student mobility between both countries,” the Australian Minister said in a press statement. He also said that India’s National Education Policy, which has set a target of raising enrolment in higher education and vocational education to 50% by 2035, provided a “genuine opportunity for Australian education providers to do more to collaborate with India”.

ISRO successful in key test for India’s third moon mission

• The CE-20 cryogenic engine, that will power the Cryogenic Upper Stage of the LVM3 vehicle for the Chandrayaan-3 mission, was put through the flight acceptance hot test
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted the flight acceptance hot test of the CE-20 cryogenic engine that will power the Cryogenic Upper Stage of the LVM3 launch vehicle for the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
• The space agency said the test was successfully conducted on February 24, at the ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu.

Proton beam therapy out of reach for many with cancer

• At present, there are no government facilities that offer proton beam therapy treatment in India
• Cancer patients in India face twin challenges when it comes to accessing proton beam therapy (PBT): there are not enough facilities offering the treatment, and the cost can run into tens of lakhs of rupees.
• The PBT is considered a viable alternative to radiation for treating solid tumours, especially for head and neck cancers.
• The privately-run Apollo Hospital said that it has treated up to 900 patients in its Chennai-based Proton Cancer Centre, of which 47% of cases are brain tumours. Patients with cancers of the prostate, ovaries, breast, lungs, bones and soft tissues have also seen promising results in terms of recovery through proton beam therapy, said Sapna Nangia, radiation oncologist at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre.