INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Sanae Takaichi Reappointed Japan’s Prime Minister After Snap Poll Victory
• Sanae Takaichi was formally reinstated as Prime Minister following a decisive win in the February 8 snap elections, securing a two-thirds majority for the Liberal Democratic Party in the lower house.
• The renewed mandate strengthens her authority in the 465-member House of Representatives, the more powerful chamber of Japan’s Parliament.
• With a supermajority, the ruling bloc can dominate parliamentary committees and override upper house resistance, where it lacks full control.
• Takaichi promptly formed her second Cabinet, signalling policy continuity amid economic challenges and rising regional security concerns.
• She has prioritised expanding defence capabilities and increasing military spending in response to evolving threats in East Asia.
• The Prime Minister has reiterated her ambition to amend Japan’s pacifist Constitution, particularly Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan, though domestic economic and social issues may delay reforms.
• Her firm stance on China and Taiwan, along with support for visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, has generated diplomatic sensitivities in the region.
• Japan continues to function as a constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary system, with the National Diet comprising the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors.
NATIONAL NEWS
NHAI Introduces Bee Corridors to Promote Eco-Friendly Highways
• The National Highways Authority of India has rolled out the “Bee Corridors” initiative along national highways to encourage sustainable infrastructure practices.
• The programme replaces ornamental roadside plantations with environmentally purposeful green belts that support pollinators.
• It aims to counter increasing ecological pressure on honeybees and other pollinating species essential for biodiversity and agriculture.
• The corridors will feature uninterrupted stretches of bee-supportive vegetation with flowering plants that supply nectar and pollen throughout the year.
• A diversified plantation pattern—including trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses—will be adopted to create balanced habitats.
• Native and nectar-rich species such as Neem, Karanj, Mahua, Palash, Bottle Brush, Jamun and Siris will form the core of the plantation drive.
• Flowering clusters will be spaced roughly 500 metres to 1 kilometre apart, aligning with the typical foraging range of bees.
• In 2026–27, around 40 lakh trees will be planted, with nearly 60% under the Bee Corridor programme, and at least three dedicated pollinator corridors will be developed.
STATE NEWS
Uttar Pradesh Launches District Manuscript Digitisation Drive under Gyan Bharatam Mission
• The Government of Uttar Pradesh has initiated district-level manuscript digitisation under the national Gyan Bharatam Mission.
• All districts have been instructed to identify and digitally record rare and historical manuscripts available at the local level.
• Chief Development Officers (CDOs) in each district have been appointed as nodal officers to oversee implementation and coordination.
• The programme focuses on conservation, scientific preservation, digitisation and archival of texts reflecting India’s traditional knowledge systems.
• The initiative aims to provide global access to scholars, researchers and the public through a structured digital repository.
• According to Deputy Director Yashwant Singh Rathore, manuscripts will undergo systematic identification, survey, cataloguing and digital documentation.
• The drive will cover handwritten works, palm-leaf and birch-bark manuscripts preserved in temples, libraries, institutions and private collections.
• While physical ownership will remain with custodians, digitised copies will be uploaded to the Gyan Bharatam portal, with special campaigns targeting manuscripts over 75 years old.
Uttarakhand Crosses 1 GW Solar Capacity Milestone
• Uttarakhand has exceeded 1 gigawatt (1,000 MW) of installed solar power capacity, reaching over 1,027.87 MW and strengthening its clean energy transition.
• Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami credited the progress to renewable energy initiatives aligned with Narendra Modi’s green growth vision and the Atmanirbhar Bharat framework.
• The achievement reflects a diversified solar mix, including ground-mounted plants, rooftop systems, canal-top installations and solar pumps.
• Major contributions include nearly 397 MW from ground-mounted projects and about 241 MW under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana.
• Additional capacity has come from the Chief Minister Solar Self-Employment Scheme, commercial net metering, captive plants and installations on government buildings.
• Over 100 MW is currently under development, particularly under the state’s self-employment solar initiative, boosting entrepreneurial and youth participation.
• Expanded solar infrastructure has enhanced energy access in remote hill regions, reduced carbon emissions and improved long-term energy security.
• The Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency has facilitated growth through policy support, subsidies, simplified approvals and technical assistance, accelerating private and public sector investment.
SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE
MeitY Launches VoicERA Open-Source Voice AI Stack
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology unveiled an open-source Voice AI stack named VoicERA at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
• The initiative was spearheaded by the Digital India BHASHINI Division under the Digital India Corporation to advance multilingual voice technologies.
• VoicERA has been integrated into the BHASHINI National Language Infrastructure as a national execution layer for voice and language-based AI services.
• The stack is built to be open, modular and interoperable, supporting both cloud-based and on-premise deployments.
• It facilitates secure and scalable rollout of voice-enabled solutions across government departments, research institutions and innovation ecosystems.
• With this addition, BHASHINI’s capabilities now extend beyond translation to real-time speech processing, conversational AI and multilingual telephony systems.
• Public agencies can leverage the platform to offer voice-driven citizen services in sectors such as agriculture, education, grievance redressal and welfare scheme access.
• CEO Amitabh Nag described the launch as a transformative step toward making voice the primary digital interface for citizens.
• The platform was developed through collaboration with EkStep Foundation, Centre for Open Source Software, International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore, and AI4Bharat.
• The initiative further strengthens India’s Digital Public Infrastructure by enabling inclusive, secure and population-scale voice AI adoption.
UN to Host Annual Global AI Dialogue; Scientific Panel Announced
• The United Nations plans to organise an annual global dialogue on Artificial Intelligence, bringing together governments, private companies and civil society.
• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres clarified that AI regulation is the responsibility of national governments, not the UN as a global regulator.
• His remarks were made ahead of his visit to New Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit.
• Under the Global Digital Compact framework, the UN is advancing initiatives to enhance international cooperation on AI governance.
• A key step is the establishment of a High-Level Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence.
• The 40-member expert panel will provide impartial scientific evaluations of AI developments, opportunities and risks to guide policymaking.
• Panel members have been appointed by the United Nations General Assembly, including Prof. Balaraman Ravindran of IIT Madras.
• Guterres has also proposed a voluntary global fund of up to 3 billion US dollars to support AI capacity-building in developing nations.
Google Announces “America–India Connect” Subsea Initiative
• Google unveiled the “America–India Connect” subsea connectivity initiative at the India AI Impact Summit.
• The project envisions connecting India and the United States through new undersea cable systems under a planned investment of 15 billion US dollars over five years.
• A new international subsea gateway will be developed at Visakhapatnam (Vizag) as part of the infrastructure expansion.
• The initiative also includes three additional subsea routes linking India with Singapore, South Africa, and Australia, along with four key fibre-optic corridors.
• CEO Sundar Pichai said the project will strengthen AI-driven digital connectivity between India, the US and the southern hemisphere.
• He highlighted India’s potential for rapid and transformative growth in artificial intelligence capabilities.
• In parallel, Google has partnered with All India Institute of Medical Sciences to explore AI-enabled tools that allow patients to input symptoms and assist doctors with automated medical reports.
• The initiative underscores a broader push to combine digital infrastructure, AI innovation and healthcare collaboration to deepen global technology partnerships.
MISCELLANEOUS
Cheetah Population Rises to 38 as Gamini Delivers Cubs at Kuno
• A South African cheetah named Gamini has given birth to three cubs at Kuno National Park.
• With this new litter, India’s total cheetah population has increased to 38.
• Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav confirmed that the number of surviving cubs born in India has now reached 27.
• This is the ninth successful cheetah litter recorded in the country and Gamini’s second delivery since relocation.
• The development comes three years after cheetahs were reintroduced to India under Project Cheetah.
• The Minister described each successful birth as a strengthening step for the long-term success of the conservation mission.
• India achieved the world’s first intercontinental translocation of a large carnivore by bringing 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa during 2022–23.
• The first batch of eight cheetahs was released into Kuno National Park by Narendra Modi on 17 September 2022, marking a historic milestone in wildlife conservation.
