NEWS 13-03-2025. News For 17th-Mar (Monday) Monthly summary of Feb *INTERNATIONAL NEWS* 1. India and Qatar have decided to double the trade between the two countries to 28 billion dollars in the next five years. 2. US President Donald Trump has announced that he is willing to stand with Russia's demand to keep Ukraine out of the NATO. 3. India and the UK are going to resume free trade negotiations between the two countries very soon. 4. India co-chaired Global AI meet in France in Feb. 5. Indian PM Narendra Modi visited the US on their invitation & had fruitful talks with his conterpart President Donald Trump. They have decided to enlarge their trade to 500 Billion Dollars by 2030. 6.UAE has agreed to supply additional LNG to India. The 14-year deal will provide up to 1.2 million tons of LNG annually starting in 2026. 7. Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp parent company Meta has announced a new 50,000-kilometer undersea cable project, *Waterworth,* aimed at enhancing digital connectivity between USA & India. *National News* 1.GOI has extended the *PM-AASHA scheme* till 2026 to provide better income support to farmers. 2. India plans to implement the *Kavach Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system* across its entire railway network within six years, aiming to enhance railway safety and efficiency. 3. Indian biologist and wildlife conservationist *Purnima Devi Barman has been named Woman of the Year by Time magazine.* 4. India aims to increase its textiles exports to 9 lakh crore rupees from existing 3 lakh crore rupees. 5. President’s rule has been imposed in Manipur, after the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh. 6. Karnataka’s aims to attract 7.5 lakh crore in investments and create 20 lakh new jobs. 7. India has *contributed 37.64 million US Dollars to the United Nation’s Regular Budget* for this year, securing its place among the 35 member states honored for timely and full payment of their dues. 8. The fish production in the country has doubled in the last ten years from 95 lakh tons to over 184 lakh tons in 2023-24. 9. The unemployment rate in India has decreased from 6%, five years ago to 3.2% during the current yr. *Defense News* 1. Russia has proposed equipping IAF Sukhoi-30MKI fleet with the advanced AL-41 engine, which powers the Sukhoi-57 stealth fighter. This proposal aims to enhance the performance of existing 272 Su-30 MKIs. 2. The Ordnance Equipment Factory is set to manufacture brake parachutes for the IAF Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets. 3. Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL) is going to develop advanced UAVs. 4. The Astra MK-3, a Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM), is under development in India to enhance the Indian Air Force's (IAF) air combat capabilities. 5. US military plane, carrying illegal Indian migrants have started landing in India. 6. The 6th edition of *India- Japan Joint Military Exercise, DHARMA GUARDIAN.* was conducted at Japan in Fev '25. 7. The Indian Navy is set to induct *two new stealth frigates, INS Himagiri and INS Udaygiri,* under Project 17A initiative. 8. The third Indian *nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), Aridaman* is set to be inducted in IN this year. The Indian Navy currently operates two SSBNs – INS Arihant & INS Arighat. *Sports News* 1. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has increased the prize money for the 2025 Champions by 53 % to 4.5 million US Dollars. 2. Indian squash player *Saurav Ghosal clinched the PSA Challenger title* in Australia. 3. India clean swept England in Cricket three-match ODI series, defeating England by 142 runs in finals at Ahmedabad. 4. Pankaj Advani won the 36th National Snooker Title, securing spot in Asian & World Championships. 5.Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa clinched the prestigious Tata Steel Masters 2025 title by defeating reigning World Champion D. Gukesh. < < Back