 "PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. File image/PTI")
It’s a big day in terms of news.
The Centre has called an all-party meeting today (March 25) to discuss the situation in West Asia. Also, Rahul Gandhi will launch the Congress’s poll campaign in Kerala.
In America, Republicans are gathering for the annual Conservative Political Action meet. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to visit Algeria. And finally, the SEMICON 2026 summit will be held in China.
All this and much more of the big news from today.
Centre holds all-party meet
The Centre has called an all-party meeting to discuss the Iran war and the possible fallout. The development comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday and the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Modi, during his speech on Tuesday, said the government was making every effort to protect the public interest. “I urge citizens to be prepared for every challenge. The impact of this war may be long-lasting, but I assure the people that the government is alert and the nation’s interest remains paramount,” Modi was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
He also urged all the states to work together, as they did during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The challenges ahead will test us. I urge all states to act proactively, as in difficult times it is labourers and the weaker sections who are affected the most. Steps must be taken to safeguard our migrant workers. State governments should also remain vigilant against black marketing, which tends to rise in such periods, and ensure that such practices do not take place,” Modi said.
However, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to skip the all-party meet.
Rahul Gandhi in Kerala
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will kick off his election campaign for the upcoming Assembly polls in Kerala today with a major rally in Kozhikode.
The rally is scheduled to be held at Kozhikode beach in the evening, marking the beginning of his campaign tour in the state ahead of the April 9 elections, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said on Saturday.
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View AllChennithala, who heads the election campaign committee, said Gandhi is expected to elaborate on key promises of the United Democratic Front (UDF), including the proposed “guarantee card”.
Leaders from the national and state levels of the party are also expected to attend the event, he said in a statement.
CPAC to hold annual event in Texas
CPAC is set to hold its annual event in Texas’ Grapevine starting today.
The three-day event will be attended by a number of high-profile Republicans and conservative leaders, including border czar Tom Homan, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, drug czar Sara Carter, and special envoy Richard Grenell.
However, the biggest figure in the Republican Party, Donald Trump, is set to skip CPAC this year. This is the first time that Trump has skipped the important event in a decade.
Trump, on Saturday, the last day of the event, will speak at Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative conference in Miami. This comes after Riyadh increased its commitment to investment in the United States to $1 trillion in 2025 (Rs 93.86 lakh crore). The development comes as cracks have emerged within the Republican Party over the war in Iran.
Giorgia Meloni in Algeria
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is in Algeria today as Rome looks to secure alternative gas supplies amid prolonged disruptions in deliveries from Qatar.
The prime minister’s office said Meloni will be in Algiers on Wednesday, without giving a detailed schedule for the official trip.
Algeria is one of the countries Italy is in talks with to secure gas supplies after Iranian strikes on Qatar appeared to have halted its exports for an extended period, Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said on Friday.
fbylItaly Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s trip comes after Italian voters emphatically rejected her flagship judicial reform, dealing a blow to her right-wing coalition ahead of next year’s general elections. ReutersThe minister said Italian state-controlled energy companies were talking to suppliers from Algeria, the United States, and Azerbaijan to receive more gas, and the government was trying to assist them.
Algeria has become one of Italy’s top gas suppliers after Rome moved to replace Russian gas following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and now covers around 30 per cent of the country’s annual gas consumption.
Meloni’s trip comes after Italian voters emphatically rejected her flagship judicial reform, dealing a blow to her right-wing coalition ahead of next year’s general elections.
SEMICON in China
The SEMICON trade show is being held today at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre in Shanghai. The three-day event will see leading representatives of global semiconductor companies, including ASML, Applied Materials, and Lam Research, typically feature prominently, as well as chip manufacturers like TSMC and Samsung Electronics.
Over 1,500 exhibitors and 80,000 people are expected to attend the over 100,000 square metre exhibition. Executives, engineers, fab managers, and procurement leaders from China, the US, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Europe will be present.
With inputs from agencies