The Evening Wrap: News of attacks on temples in Australia hurts us, says PM Modi

Reports of vandalism targeting temples in Australia hurts India, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Welcoming PM Albanese to India, PM Modi said India and Australia have been close partners covering areas like security and education but the recent incidents against Hindu temples have “disturbed” India. PM Albanese did not address the concerns mentioned by PM Modi but said, that Delhi-Canberra ties are “multifaceted” and informed that the two sides agreed on completing a Comprehensive Economic Agreement “as soon as possible”. “Indian immigrants are the second largest expat community in Australia. They are making significant contribution to the Australian society and economy. It’s a matter of regret that for the last few weeks we have been getting regular news of attacks against temples. It’s natural that such news worries everyone in India, and hurts our sentiments,” said PM Modi at the Hyderabad House. “I have placed these emotions and sentiments before Prime Minister Albanese and he has assured me that the safety of the Indian community is of special priority for him,” said PM Modi informing that the two sides will be in contact over the matter. PM Modi highlighted the growing people to people relation describing it as a “significant” part of India-Australia relation. PM Modi described India-Australia relation as important for dealing with global challenges and global welfare. PM Modi thanked PM Albanese for inviting him to the Quad Leaders’ summit that will be held in Australia in May. “We have signed an agreement on education that will help our students. We are moving ahead on the mobility agreement. After that I will be happy to welcome PM Albanese to India in September for the G20 summit,” remarked PM Modi. PM Albanese did not touch upon the reports of vandalism that spiked since early this year and dedicated the major part of his remarks to trade and commerce between the two sides. “PM Modi and I discussed the strength of our economic relationship, demonstrated by the coming into force of the landmark India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement last year. This has eliminated tariffs on more than 85% Australian goods exported to India,” said PM Albanese informing that the two sides discussed “increasingly uncertain global security environment” and work towards a stable and open Indo-Pacific region. Delhi court grants ED 7-day custody of Manish Sisodia in excise policy case The Delhi Rouse Avenue Court on March 10 sent AAP leader Manish Sisodia to ED custody till March 17 in the money laundering case related to the excise policy. The city court had reserved its order earlier in the day on the Enforcement Directorate’s plea, which sought 10-day custody of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The ED on Thursday arrested Sisodia on a money laundering charge, after questioning him for several hours inside the Tihar Jail. The CBI arrested Sisodia on February 26. The case alleges irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped excise policy. Subsequently, a special court sent him to judicial custody in Tihar Jail. The ED secured a court order and, on Tuesday, started recording Sisodia’s statement. Based on the findings, it formally put him under arrest and will produce him before the designated court on Friday. The case was heard by Special Judge M.K. Nagpal. The lawyer for the federal anti-money laundering probe agency alleged that Sisodia made false statements about the ‘scam’ and that it wanted to unearth the modus operandi of the perpetrators and confront him with the other accused. ED’s counsel Zoheb Hossain also claimed before a special court that Sisodia destroyed his phone, an important piece of evidence in the investigation. The claims of the ED counsel were contested by a battery of lawyers who represented Sisodia. Senior advocates Dayan Krishnan, Mohit Mathur and Siddharth Aggarwal said the excise policy was accepted by the Lieutenant Governor who must have examined it. Sisodia’s lawyers, while opposing the ED’s plea for his custody, said it is the executive’s job to make policy which goes through several layers of scrutiny. “How can ED look into policy making in money-laundering case,” the AAP leader’s counsel asked the court. “ED has not found a single penny from my client...the case is entirely based on hearsay,” the lawyer said. BRS leader Kavitha leads hunger strike demanding passage of Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament A day ahead of her appearance before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the excise scam case, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha on March 10 observed a hunger strike seeking passage of the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill in the second part of the Budget session of Parliament starting from March 13. CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, who inaugurated the six-hour strike programme at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, also demanded that the Modi government should bring this Bill in this session of the Parliament. Among leaders present at the strike were Shyam Rajak (RJD), Seema Shukla (SP), Telangana Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy as well as State Women and Child Welfare Minister Satyavathi Rathod and others. Women leaders from Andhra Pradesh were also present. Sanjay Singh and Chitra Sarwara (AAP), Naresh Gujral (Akali Dal), Anjum Javed Mirza (PDP), Shami Firdous (NC), Sushmita Dev (TMC), KC Tyagi (JDU), Seema Malik (NCP), Narayana K (CPI), Shyam Rajak (RLD), Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiva Sena) and ex-Congress leader Kapil Sibal have confirmed their participation in the strike that will end at 4 p.m. “We have come here to assure that our party will extend support to Kavitha in this protest till the Bill is passed in Parliament. It is important to bring this Bill to give equal opportunity to women in politics,” Yechury said in his inaugural address. When he entered Parliament for the first time in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said his government’s priority would be the Women’s Reservation Bill. It has been nine years now, this Bill has not been introduced again in Parliament, he said. After much effort, the government gave reservation for women in Panchayats. “If you can give reservation for women in Panchayats, why not in Parliament,” he asked and added a country will not progress unless women are given equal opportunity in social-, economic- and political sphere. “It is important to bring this Bill in the current session of Parliament and the CPI-M will stand besides the BRS party in this protest,” he added. The second leg of the Budget session of Parliament will start on March 13 and end on April 6. Kavitha said, “If India needs to develop at a speed the world is developing, women should play a key role in politics. Women should get more representation in politics for which it is important to bring this Bill that is pending for the last 27 years.” Many political parties tried to bring this Bill since 1996, but it could not be passed in Parliament. “Leaders such as Susma Swaraj, Sonia Gandhi, and Brinda Karat had led struggles to make it possible,” she said. “I feel elated to have an opportunity to take this movement forward. I promise the women of India that we will continue this protest until the Bill is introduced and passed,” she said, adding today’s hunger strike is just the beginning and the protest will continue across the country. Kavitha further said it is a historic moment to have a full majority government at the Centre. “We demand that the BJP government introduces this Bill, we will bring all the political parties together and will try supporting you in Parliament,” she added. RJD leader Shyam Rajak said Indian democracy cannot be strengthen without adequate political representation of women. Reservation for women should be more than 33% in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. The Bill, which seeks to reserve 33% seats in Lok Sabha and all State Legislative Assemblies for women, was initially introduced in Lok Sabha on September 12, 1996 by the United Front government. The Vajpayee government pushed for the Bill in Lok Sabha but it still wasn’t passed. However, the UPA-I government, led by the Congress, again introduced it in May 2008 and was passed in the Rajya Sabha but it was referred to a standing committee. In 2010, it was passed in the House and transmitted finally to the Lok Sabha. However, the Bill lapsed with the 15th Lok Sabha. Since then, the Bill has been lying in cold storage. Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister M. K. Chandrasekhar Rao, had on Thursday said the hunger strike was planned a week before but the ED summoned her to depose before it on March 9, just a day before the planned agitation. The agency agreed to her request to appear on March 11 after the agitation. The BRS leader has been summoned by the ED in connection with a money-laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the excise policy. Two people succumb to H3N2 seasonal flu, 451 confirmed cases in 2023: Health Ministry At least two persons have succumbed to the H3N2 subtype of seasonal influenza, which has infected rising numbers of people since mid-December last year, the Health Ministry has confirmed. After a country-wide surveillance exercise, the Ministry said that it had found at least 451 confirmed cases of H3N2 since the beginning of this year. The first recorded death from H3N2 this year was of an 82-year-old man in Karnataka’s Hassan district. Hire Gowda was hospitalised on February 24 and died on March 1, according to official reports. He was suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure. The second deceased was a 56-year-old lung cancer patient in Haryana’s Jind district who tested positive for the H3N2 virus in January and succumbed to it last week. Patients infected with H3N2 display symptoms similar to COVID-19: fever, cough, breathlessness, wheezing and pneumonia. The Health Ministry has advised social distancing and mask wearing to prevent the spread of the virus. “The Ministry is also tracking and keeping a close watch on morbidity and mortality due to the H3N2 subtype of the seasonal influenza. Young children and old age persons with co-morbidities are the most vulnerable groups in the context of seasonal influenza,” the Ministry’s statement said. An almost real-time surveillance of cases of influenza-like illnesses and severe acute respiratory infections presenting in health facilities is being undertaken by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme of the National Centre for Disease Control. The H3N2 case numbers have been confirmed from a pool of symptomatic flu cases, of which over 3.97 lakh were reported in January. In February, this number increased slightly to 4.36 lakh cases. Upto March 9, India has reported over 1.33 lakh cases of flu this month. Of these cases, 15,826 cases worsened and were hospitalised with severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) since January. Samples of SARI patients were sent for genomic sequencing to understand the exact strain of virus that has infected them. According to the latest data available on the integrated health information platform, a total of 3,038 laboratory confirmed cases of various subtypes of influenza, including H3N2, have been reported till March 9. This includes 1,245 cases in January, 1,307 in February and 486 cases so far this month. “India every year witnesses two peaks of seasonal influenza: one from January to March and other in the post-monsoon season. The cases arising from seasonal influenza are expected to decline from March end,” the Ministry said. Apart from H3N2, a total of 955 cases of H1N1 virus — better known as swine flu — have also been reported, the Ministry has confirmed. The majority of H1N1 cases were reported from Tamil Nadu (545), apart from cases in Maharashtra (170), Gujarat (74), Kerala (42) and Punjab (28). Oseltamivir, a drug used to treat H1N1, has been recommended by the World Health Organization for the treatment of H3N2 cases as well, the Health Ministry said. “The drug is made available through the public health system free of cost. Government has allowed sale of Oseltamivir under Schedule H1 of Drug and Cosmetic Act in February 2017 for wider accessibility and availability. Adequate logistics is available with the States. However, in case of any emergencies the Indian government has been providing the support to the States to tide over the crisis,” the statement added. On March 11, NITI Aayog will hold an inter-ministerial meeting to review the seasonal influenza situation in the States, and discuss ways to further support them in terms of public health measures, management guidelines and protocols to manage the incresing cases. Chinese Parliament endorses President Xi Jinping’s leadership for rare 3rd five-year term China’s Parliament on Friday, March 10, 2023, unanimously endorsed an unprecedented third five-year term for President Xi Jinping. Xi, 69, was re-elected by the once-in-a-five-year Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) as its leader in October last year, becoming the first Chinese leader after the party founder Mao Zedong to continue in power beyond the two five-year terms. China’s legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC) often described as the rubber stamp Parliament, for its mechanical and routine endorsement of the decisions of the CPC on Friday voted on the expected lines ratifying Xi’s third term. Xi is widely expected to continue in power for life. He has already been elected as the General Secretary of the CPC during its last October Congress, which also elected a new leadership for all its top policy bodies. This year’s annual session of the NPC is regarded significant as it heralds a once-in-a-ten-year change of leadership of the Chinese government, including the Premier who presides over the State Council, the central Cabinet. The term of the present Premier Li Keqiang will end with this year’s NPC session. His successor, widely expected to be Li Qiang, who is a close associate of Xi, is likely to be elected by the NPC on Saturday. All the names of the new leadership have been approved by the Plenum of the CPC headed by Xi a few weeks ago. The NPC approval is a routine formality. The new Premier will address the annual press conference on Mar 13, the last day of this year’s annual NPC session. In Brief: Iran, Saudi Arabia to restore ties in China-brokered deal Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore ties and to reopen respective diplomatic missions after talks in China, state media in both countries reported on March 10, 2023, seven years after relations were severed. Riyadh cut ties with Tehran after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic republic in 2016 following the Saudi execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.“Following talks, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies and missions within two months,” the official Iranian news agency IRNA said, citing a joint statement. The official Saudi Press Agency also published the statement. Delhi HC stays lower court proceedings against DCW chairperson in corruption case The Delhi High Court on March 10 stayed proceedings of Rouse Avenue Court against Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal in connection with a case of alleged appointment of Aam Aadmi Party leaders to DCW. In December last year, the Rouse Avenue Court had ordered the framing of charges against Maliwal and others for ‘prima facie’ abusing their official positions to appoint workers of the Aam Aadmi Party at different posts in the women’s rights body. Apart from Maliwal, former DCW members Promila Gupta, Sarika Chaudhary and Farheen Malick will also be put on trial, ordered special Judge Dig Vinay Singh. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 10 March 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( News of attacks on temples in Australia hurts us: PM Modi Reports of vandalism targeting temples in Australia hurts India, [said Prime Minister Narendra Modi](. Welcoming PM Albanese to India, PM Modi said India and Australia have been close partners covering areas like security and education but the recent incidents against Hindu temples have “disturbed” India. PM Albanese did not address the concerns mentioned by PM Modi but said, that Delhi-Canberra ties are “multifaceted” and informed that the two sides agreed on completing a Comprehensive Economic Agreement “as soon as possible”. “Indian immigrants are the second largest expat community in Australia. They are making significant contribution to the Australian society and economy. It’s a matter of regret that for the last few weeks we have been getting regular news of attacks against temples. It’s natural that such news worries everyone in India, and hurts our sentiments,” said PM Modi at the Hyderabad House. “I have placed these emotions and sentiments before Prime Minister Albanese and he has assured me that the safety of the Indian community is of special priority for him,” said PM Modi informing that the two sides will be in contact over the matter. PM Modi highlighted the growing people to people relation describing it as a “significant” part of India-Australia relation. PM Modi described India-Australia relation as important for dealing with global challenges and global welfare. PM Modi thanked PM Albanese for inviting him to the Quad Leaders’ summit that will be held in Australia in May. “We have signed an agreement on education that will help our students. We are moving ahead on the mobility agreement. After that I will be happy to welcome PM Albanese to India in September for the G20 summit,” remarked PM Modi. PM Albanese did not touch upon the reports of vandalism that spiked since early this year and dedicated the major part of his remarks to trade and commerce between the two sides. “PM Modi and I discussed the strength of our economic relationship, demonstrated by the coming into force of the landmark India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement last year. This has eliminated tariffs on more than 85% Australian goods exported to India ,” said PM Albanese informing that the two sides discussed “increasingly uncertain global security environment” and work towards a stable and open Indo-Pacific region. Delhi court grants ED 7-day custody of Manish Sisodia in excise policy case The Delhi Rouse Avenue Court on March 10 [sent AAP leader Manish Sisodia to ED custody till March 17]( in the money laundering case related to the excise policy. The city court had reserved its order earlier in the day on the Enforcement Directorate’s plea, which sought 10-day custody of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The ED on Thursday arrested Sisodia on a money laundering charge, after questioning him for several hours inside the Tihar Jail. The CBI arrested Sisodia on February 26. The case alleges irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped excise policy. Subsequently, a special court sent him to judicial custody in Tihar Jail. The ED secured a court order and, on Tuesday, started recording Sisodia’s statement. Based on the findings, it formally put him under arrest and will produce him before the designated court on Friday. The case was heard by Special Judge M.K. Nagpal. The lawyer for the federal anti-money laundering probe agency alleged that Sisodia made false statements about the ‘scam’ and that it wanted to unearth the modus operandi of the perpetrators and confront him with the other accused. ED’s counsel Zoheb Hossain also claimed before a special court that Sisodia destroyed his phone, an important piece of evidence in the investigation. The claims of the ED counsel were contested by a battery of lawyers who represented Sisodia. Senior advocates Dayan Krishnan, Mohit Mathur and Siddharth Aggarwal said the excise policy was accepted by the Lieutenant Governor who must have examined it. Sisodia’s lawyers, while opposing the ED’s plea for his custody, said it is the executive’s job to make policy which goes through several layers of scrutiny. “How can ED look into policy making in money-laundering case,” the AAP leader’s counsel asked the court. “ED has not found a single penny from my client...the case is entirely based on hearsay,” the lawyer said. BRS leader Kavitha leads hunger strike demanding passage of Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament A day ahead of her appearance before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the excise scam case, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha on March 10 [observed a hunger strike]( seeking passage of the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill in the second part of the Budget session of Parliament starting from March 13. CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, who inaugurated the six-hour strike programme at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, also demanded that the Modi government should bring this Bill in this session of the Parliament. Among leaders present at the strike were Shyam Rajak (RJD), Seema Shukla (SP), Telangana Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy as well as State Women and Child Welfare Minister Satyavathi Rathod and others. Women leaders from Andhra Pradesh were also present. Sanjay Singh and Chitra Sarwara (AAP), Naresh Gujral (Akali Dal), Anjum Javed Mirza (PDP), Shami Firdous (NC), Sushmita Dev (TMC), KC Tyagi (JDU), Seema Malik (NCP), Narayana K (CPI), Shyam Rajak (RLD), Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiva Sena) and ex-Congress leader Kapil Sibal have confirmed their participation in the strike that will end at 4 p.m. “We have come here to assure that our party will extend support to Kavitha in this protest till the Bill is passed in Parliament. It is important to bring this Bill to give equal opportunity to women in politics,” Yechury said in his inaugural address. When he entered Parliament for the first time in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said his government’s priority would be the Women’s Reservation Bill. It has been nine years now, this Bill has not been introduced again in Parliament, he said. After much effort, the government gave reservation for women in Panchayats. “If you can give reservation for women in Panchayats, why not in Parliament,” he asked and added a country will not progress unless women are given equal opportunity in social-, economic- and political sphere. “It is important to bring this Bill in the current session of Parliament and the CPI-M will stand besides the BRS party in this protest,” he added. The second leg of the Budget session of Parliament will start on March 13 and end on April 6. Kavitha said, “If India needs to develop at a speed the world is developing, women should play a key role in politics. Women should get more representation in politics for which it is important to bring this Bill that is pending for the last 27 years.” Many political parties tried to bring this Bill since 1996, but it could not be passed in Parliament. “Leaders such as Susma Swaraj, Sonia Gandhi, and Brinda Karat had led struggles to make it possible,” she said. “I feel elated to have an opportunity to take this movement forward. I promise the women of India that we will continue this protest until the Bill is introduced and passed,” she said, adding today’s hunger strike is just the beginning and the protest will continue across the country. Kavitha further said it is a historic moment to have a full majority government at the Centre. “We demand that the BJP government introduces this Bill, we will bring all the political parties together and will try supporting you in Parliament,” she added. RJD leader Shyam Rajak said Indian democracy cannot be strengthen without adequate political representation of women. Reservation for women should be more than 33% in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. The Bill, which seeks to reserve 33% seats in Lok Sabha and all State Legislative Assemblies for women, was initially introduced in Lok Sabha on September 12, 1996 by the United Front government. The Vajpayee government pushed for the Bill in Lok Sabha but it still wasn’t passed. However, the UPA-I government, led by the Congress, again introduced it in May 2008 and was passed in the Rajya Sabha but it was referred to a standing committee. In 2010, it was passed in the House and transmitted finally to the Lok Sabha. However, the Bill lapsed with the 15th Lok Sabha. Since then, the Bill has been lying in cold storage. Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister M. K. Chandrasekhar Rao, had on Thursday said the hunger strike was planned a week before but the ED summoned her to depose before it on March 9, just a day before the planned agitation. The agency agreed to her request to appear on March 11 after the agitation. The BRS leader has been summoned by the ED in connection with a money-laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the excise policy. Two people succumb to H3N2 seasonal flu, 451 confirmed cases in 2023: Health Ministry [At least two persons have succumbed to the H3N2 subtype]( of seasonal influenza, which has infected rising numbers of people since mid-December last year, the Health Ministry has confirmed. After a country-wide surveillance exercise, the Ministry said that it had found at least 451 confirmed cases of H3N2 since the beginning of this year. The first recorded death from H3N2 this year was of an 82-year-old man in Karnataka’s Hassan district. Hire Gowda was hospitalised on February 24 and died on March 1, according to official reports. He was suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure. The second deceased was a 56-year-old lung cancer patient in Haryana’s Jind district who tested positive for the H3N2 virus in January and succumbed to it last week. Patients infected with H3N2 display symptoms similar to COVID-19: fever, cough, breathlessness, wheezing and pneumonia. The Health Ministry has advised social distancing and mask wearing to prevent the spread of the virus. “The Ministry is also tracking and keeping a close watch on morbidity and mortality due to the H3N2 subtype of the seasonal influenza. Young children and old age persons with co-morbidities are the most vulnerable groups in the context of seasonal influenza,” the Ministry’s statement said. An almost real-time surveillance of cases of influenza-like illnesses and severe acute respiratory infections presenting in health facilities is being undertaken by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme of the National Centre for Disease Control. The H3N2 case numbers have been confirmed from a pool of symptomatic flu cases, of which over 3.97 lakh were reported in January. In February, this number increased slightly to 4.36 lakh cases. Upto March 9, India has reported over 1.33 lakh cases of flu this month. Of these cases, 15,826 cases worsened and were hospitalised with severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) since January. Samples of SARI patients were sent for genomic sequencing to understand the exact strain of virus that has infected them. According to the latest data available on the integrated health information platform, a total of 3,038 laboratory confirmed cases of various subtypes of influenza, including H3N2, have been reported till March 9. This includes 1,245 cases in January, 1,307 in February and 486 cases so far this month. “India every year witnesses two peaks of seasonal influenza: one from January to March and other in the post-monsoon season. The cases arising from seasonal influenza are expected to decline from March end,” the Ministry said. Apart from H3N2, a total of 955 cases of H1N1 virus — better known as swine flu — have also been reported, the Ministry has confirmed. The majority of H1N1 cases were reported from Tamil Nadu (545), apart from cases in Maharashtra (170), Gujarat (74), Kerala (42) and Punjab (28). Oseltamivir, a drug used to treat H1N1, has been recommended by the World Health Organization for the treatment of H3N2 cases as well, the Health Ministry said. “The drug is made available through the public health system free of cost. Government has allowed sale of Oseltamivir under Schedule H1 of Drug and Cosmetic Act in February 2017 for wider accessibility and availability. Adequate logistics is available with the States. However, in case of any emergencies the Indian government has been providing the support to the States to tide over the crisis,” the statement added. On March 11, NITI Aayog will hold an inter-ministerial meeting to review the seasonal influenza situation in the States, and discuss ways to further support them in terms of public health measures, management guidelines and protocols to manage the incresing cases. Chinese Parliament endorses President Xi Jinping’s leadership for rare 3rd five-year term China’s Parliament on Friday, March 10, 2023, [unanimously endorsed an unprecedented third five-year term]( for President Xi Jinping. Xi, 69, was re-elected by the once-in-a-five-year Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) as its leader in October last year, becoming the first Chinese leader after the party founder Mao Zedong to continue in power beyond the two five-year terms. China’s legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC) often described as the rubber stamp Parliament, for its mechanical and routine endorsement of the decisions of the CPC on Friday voted on the expected lines ratifying Xi’s third term. Xi is widely expected to continue in power for life. He has already been elected as the General Secretary of the CPC during its last October Congress, which also elected a new leadership for all its top policy bodies. This year’s annual session of the NPC is regarded significant as it heralds a once-in-a-ten-year change of leadership of the Chinese government, including the Premier who presides over the State Council, the central Cabinet. The term of the present Premier Li Keqiang will end with this year’s NPC session. His successor, widely expected to be Li Qiang, who is a close associate of Xi, is likely to be elected by the NPC on Saturday. All the names of the new leadership have been approved by the Plenum of the CPC headed by Xi a few weeks ago. The NPC approval is a routine formality. The new Premier will address the annual press conference on Mar 13, the last day of this year’s annual NPC session. In Brief: Iran, Saudi Arabia to restore ties in China-brokered deal [Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore ties]( and to reopen respective diplomatic missions after talks in China, state media in both countries reported on March 10, 2023, seven years after relations were severed. Riyadh cut ties with Tehran after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic republic in 2016 following the Saudi execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr .“Following talks, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies and missions within two months,” the official Iranian news agency IRNA said, citing a joint statement. The official Saudi Press Agency also published the statement. Delhi HC stays lower court proceedings against DCW chairperson in corruption case The Delhi High Court on March 10 [stayed proceedings]( of Rouse Avenue Court against Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal in connection with a case of alleged appointment of Aam Aadmi Party leaders to DCW. In December last year, the Rouse Avenue Court had ordered the framing of charges against Maliwal and others for ‘prima facie’ abusing their official positions to appoint workers of the Aam Aadmi Party at different posts in the women’s rights body. Apart from Maliwal, former DCW members Promila Gupta, Sarika Chaudhary and Farheen Malick will also be put on trial, ordered special Judge Dig Vinay Singh. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. First Day First Show Stay up-to-date on all things cinema with the "First Day First Show" cinema & entertainment newsletter. 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