LIVE: PM Modi arrives at Delhi after attending Asean-India Summit

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10:32 PM

PM Modi scheduled to hold talks with Biden on Friday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden are set to hold bilateral talks on Friday evening with a focus on further solidifying the India-US comprehensive global and strategic partnership.

 

The two leaders are expected to review ongoing bilateral cooperation in areas of clean energy, trade, high-technology, defence and how the two countries can contribute in dealing with some of the pressing challenges facing the world.

 

Modi is also likely to hold separate bilateral meetings on Friday with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth.

 

The US President is visiting New Delhi to attend the G20 summit that is being held on September 9 and 10. It will be his first visit to India as the US President.

10:31 PM

IMF Chairman Kristalina Georgieva arrives in Delhi, receives traditional welcome

G20 Summit 2023 Updates: Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director and Chairman of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) arrived in the national capital on Thursday to attend the G20 Summit to be held on September 9-10.

 

Kristalina Georgieva was received with a rousing welcome at the New Delhi airport with a cultural dance performance.

 

A cultural team performed a traditional folk dance to welcome the IMF chief. She appreciated their dance and also tried some steps by herself.

 

Recently, IMF has projected India to grow at 6.1 per cent this fiscal (April 2023-March 2024) despite global issues like climate change and the Russia-Ukraine war.

10:30 PM

Central Delhi Police launches Mobile Police Station ahead of G20 summit

10:04 PM

Area around Jama Masjid decorated with colourful lights, decorative umbrellas, flowers ahead of the G20 summit

9:45 PM

Special yatra carried out by Cong members across the country to celebrate 1 yr of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'

Special yatra carried out by Congress members in different parts of country to celebrate one year of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.

9:45 PM

Russian businessman gets 9 years in US prison for hack-and-trade scheme

A Russian businessman with ties to the Kremlin was sentenced on Thursday to nine years in a U.S. prison after being convicted of participating in a $93 million insider-trading scheme involving hacked secret earnings information about multiple companies.

 

Vladislav Klyushin, the owner of a Moscow-based information technology company called M-13 that did work for the Russian government, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patti Saris in Boston after a jury found him guilty in February.

7:46 PM

Plea filed in Supreme Court seeking registration of FIR against Udhayanidhi Stalin

A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking initiation of legal action against Udhayanidhi Stalin, Tamil Nadu minister and son of Chief Minister MK Stalin, over his controversial statements on 'Sanatan Dharma.'

 

Advocate Vineet Jindal petitioned the top court saying that he is a follower of Sanatan Dharma and is aggrieved with “hate speech” made by Stalin Jr.

 

The plea said that the applicant had already filed a complaint with the Commissioner of Delhi Police seeking action against the DMK leader under penal provisions but the First Information Report (FIR) is yet to be registered.

7:45 PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin not planning video address to G20, says Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not planning to make a video address at the upcoming G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend, the Kremlin said Thursday.

 

The meeting comes amid fraught relations between Moscow and the West over the conflict in Ukraine, which caused deep tensions at last year's summit in Bali.

 

Asked whether Putin would make a separate video address, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "No, there are no plans."

 

He said "all the work" would be led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is leading Russia's delegation.

7:45 PM

French President Macron to hold bilateral meeting with PM Modi

French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in New Delhi on Saturday for a two-day visit to attend the G20 Summit under India's Presidency scheduled to be held from September 9-10. Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting likely in the form of a lunch at the end of the G20 Summit on September 10.

 

Previously, the two leaders met in July during PM Modi's visit to France to attend Bastille Day Parade. During his two-day visit to India, Emmanuel Macron will have bilateral meetings with other world leaders, particularly with Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, according to the Embassy of France in India.

7:23 PM

PM Narendra Modi back in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in India after his “very short but fruitful” visit to Indonesia where he attended the 20th Asean-India and 18th East Asia Summits.

 

At the Asean-India Summit, the Prime Minister held extensive discussions with Asean partners on strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and charting its future course.The Prime Minister returned to New Delhi ahead of G20 Summit which is being held on September 9 and 10.

2:49 PM

Apples to lentils: India removes additional duties on certain US products

India has removed additional duties on about half a dozen US products, including chickpeas, lentils and apples, which were imposed in 2019 in response to America's decision to increase tariffs on certain steel and aluminium products.

India had imposed these duties on 28 US products in 2019 in retaliation to the US' move.

The finance ministry through a notification dated September 5 informed about removal of duties on the products, including chickpeas, lentils (masur), apples, walnut in shell and almonds fresh or dried, as well as almond shelled.

2:19 PM

False tsunami alert triggers panic at Porvorim in Goa; probe ordered

A siren giving a warning about tsunami erroneously started playing from the Early Warning Dissemination System at Porvorim near here, triggering panic among the local residents, an official said on Thursday.

The siren started sounding the alert after 9 pm on Wednesday and it continued for more than 20 minutes, local residents said.

Whether the siren went off due to any technical error or any other reason is being probed, with a state minister saying that he has sought a report into it.

2:01 PM

Intense, frequent heatwaves measurably worsening air quality: WMO

Increasingly intense and frequent heatwaves, compounded by wildfires and desert dust, is measurably worsening air quality, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Putting heatwaves in the spotlight, the report showed that heatwaves in the US and Europe, triggering wildfires and accompanied by desert dust intrusions, respectively, both led to dangerous air quality in 2022, affecting human health and environment.

It is not just high temperatures which are a hazard, but the impacts of resulting pollution, often overlooked, are just as pernicious, the 2023 WMO Air Quality and Climate Bulletin, the third in an annual series, said.

1:47 PM

RSS chief should tell govt to hold caste census: RJD leader Manoj Jha

A day after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's comments supporting reservation, RJD leader and MP Manoj Jha on Thursday said he should tell the government to agree for a caste census.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief on Wednesday in Nagpur had said discrimination exists in society, and reservations should continue as long as inequality persists. "... We at the RSS give all support to the reservations provided in the Constitution," he had said.

The RJD leader said, "They are the followers of (former RSS chief MS) Golwalkar... But I'm happy at least that they have started thinking according to the Constitution."

1:20 PM

Odisha to hold International convention of millets on Nov 9, targets to procure 8 lakh quintals of ragi

The Odisha government will host an international convention of millets on November 9 and 10, an official said on Thursday.

The government has also set a target to procure 8 lakh quintal of ragi during the financial year 2023-24, the official said.

The convention is being held to promote millet and its products and encourage the marketing and export of millet-based products, including measures to include the use of millet food in the public distribution system, ICDS, mid-day meals, hostels and others, he said.

1:13 PM

Udhayanidhi spoke about "inhuman principles" in Sanatan Dharma, unfair for PM to target him, says Stalin

Amid a raging row across the country over cabinet colleague Udhayanidhi Stalin's alleged anti-Sanatan Dharma remarks, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday said his son had expressed certain comments about the "inhuman principles" preached in it.

Pro-BJP forces, unable to tolerate his stance against oppressive principles, have spread a false narrative, alleging Udhayanidhi called for the genocide of people with Sanatan thoughts, Stalin said in a statement and wondered why Prime Minister Narendra Modi would also join those targeting the TN minister.

12:58 PM

PM Modi leaves for home after wrapping up fruitful Jakarta visit to attend ASEAN-India, East Asia summits

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for home on Thursday after wrapping up a short but fruitful and productive visit to Indonesia to attend the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits during which he reaffirmed India's strong ties with the countries in the strategically key region.

The prime minister arrived in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, in the morning.

"PM @narendramodi concludes his visit to Indonesia, forging stronger partnerships with ASEAN and EAS partners," the Ministry of External Affairs posted on X.

"Had a very short but fruitful Indonesia visit, where I met ASEAN and other leaders. I thank President @jokowi, the Indonesian Government and the people for their welcome," Prime Minister Modi posted on X.

 

12:42 PM

Govt seeks public comments on draft guidelines for regulation of dark patterns on online platforms

The government has sought public comments on draft guidelines for prevention and regulation of "dark patterns" which are nothing but tactics used by online players to deceive customers or manipulate their choices.

The draft guidelines, issued by the Consumer Affairs Ministry, list various deceptive practices being adopted by online platforms in the nature of dark patterns which are against the interests of consumers.

The ministry has sought public comments/suggestions on the draft guidelines within 30 days till October 5, an official statement said.

12:39 PM

Absent Putin and Ukraine war cast long shadow over G20

The leaders of Russia and China are skipping the G20 summit, but their absence and rifts over the Ukraine war will have a big influence on the proceedings.

Russian President Vladimir Putin won't be at the G20 Leaders' Summit, but he and the Russia-Ukraine war are likely to have a bigger effect on outcomes than even the lack of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Days before world leaders prepared to gather in New Delhi for the summit September 9-10, news emerged that China's leader had decided not to attend. Xi's absence will undoubtedly stifle progress on the many issues plaguing the global economy.

However, it's Putin and the war in Ukraine that is likely to dominate proceedings and hamper progress on urgent matters before the G20.

12:39 PM

Ahead of G20 Summit, PM Modi asks rich nations to soften climate demands

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants rich nations to take a more constructive attitude on helping developing countries battling with climate change, saying it must come with action on financing and technology transfers.

“We believe there is a need to move away from a purely restrictive attitude of what should not be done to a more constructive attitude focusing on what can be done to fight climate change,” Modi wrote in an opinion piece in the Times ahead of the Group of Twenty Summit.

Modi said many countries in the Global South are at various stages of development when it comes to addressing climate change and action needs to be complementary. “Ambitions for climate action must be matched with actions on climate finance and transfer of technology,” he said in the op-ed.

12:35 PM

Courts must be on guard, test evidence meticulously when FIR is delayed: SC

Courts must be on guard and test evidence meticulously to rule out possibility of embellishments in the prosecution's story when an FIR is delayed and there is absence of proper explanation, the Supreme Court has said.

The apex court acquitted two people whose conviction and life sentence for the offence of murder in a case lodged in 1989 was affirmed by the Chhattisgarh High Court.

A bench of justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra noted that the accused were tried for allegedly murdering a man on August 25, 1989, while the FIR in the case was lodged the next day in Bilaspur district.

12:22 PM

US Secy Blinken meets Ukraine Prez Zelenskyy in Kyiv; announces $1 bn aid

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and announced USD1 billion more in aid for Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia to "build momentum."

Blinken and his entourage stayed overnight Wednesday in the Ukranian capital city Kiev, during his unannounced two-day visit that marks the fourth visit by the US Secretary of State since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to the Voice of America report.

12:07 PM

Siddaramaiah slams govt over denial of rice to state, calls BJP inhumane

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led central government of being anti-poor and inhumane, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday urged the people of the state to not vote for the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The statement was made by the Karnataka CM at an event that was held at Madhugiri in Tumakuru district to celebrate the completion of 10 years of the 'Ksheera Bhagya' scheme, which offers milk to government schoolchildren every day.

11:50 AM

TMC again seeks permission from Delhi Police to hold protests over withholding' of MGNREGA funds

The Trinamool Congress has written fresh letters to the Delhi Police, seeking permission to hold demonstrations at three places in the national capital in early October to protest against the alleged withholding of funds under the rural jobs scheme by the Centre for West Bengal.

TMC's Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien wrote three letters on September 6 to DCP Parliament Street Police station, New Delhi, seeking permission to organise dharnas at Jantar Mantar, outside Krishi Bhavan and in front of Union agriculture minister Giriraj Singh's residence on October 2 and October 3.

11:34 AM

Bharat Jodo Yatra effort to rebuild 'broken collective conscience': Kharge

Describing the Bharat Jodo Yatra as a people's movement, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said the foot march was not just a physical endeavour but a sincere effort to "rebuild our broken collective conscience".

On the first anniversary of the party's Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said it continues to fight the menace of hate and hostility in society through a conversation.

11:16 AM

ISRO congratulates JAXA on successful launch of lander mission to Moon

ISRO on Thursday congratulated the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on the successful launch of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM).

 

"Best wishes for another successful lunar endeavour by the global space community," the Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency also said on 'X'. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on Thursday launched a rocket carrying an X-ray telescope that will explore the origins of the universe as well as the SLIM.

11:05 AM

No one can challenge our Dharma: Smriti Irani on Udhayanidhi's remarks

Coming down heavily on DMK leader and Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for his remark equating 'Sanatan Dharma' with "mosquitoes, dengue, malaria, fever and corona", Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said that the chants for Lord Krishna should be so loud that they reach those who challenge Sanatan Dharma.

The Union Minister took a dig at Udhayanidhi Stalin and those who supported his "Sanatan Dharma" remark at the Janmashtami celebration in Delhi's Dwarka.

10:18 AM

India's G20 presidency giving voice to many nations: Mahindra CEO Shah

India's inclusive G20 presidency is giving a voice to several nations and the country is uniquely positioned to bridge the divide between many countries in the world, according to Mahindra Group Managing Director & CEO Anish Shah.

The power of India's G20 presidency is reflected in a series of comprehensive actions taken that will create solutions that can be taken across the world but going forward, the multi-nation forum will need to tackle global issues such as debt restructuring of countries in debt, high inflation and agreement on timelines for climate mitigation measures, he said.

9:57 AM

China exports decline slower than expected in August as economy remains under pressure

China's exports declined at a slower pace in August, even as the world's second-biggest economy remains under pressure from weaker demand both domestically and abroad.

Exports for August slumped 8.8 per cent from the same time last year, totalling USD 284.87 billion, and were slower than the 14.5 per cent last month, according to customs data on Thursday.

9:36 AM

History, geography unite India and ASEAN: PM Modi in Indonesia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday attended the 20th ASEAN Summit in Indonesia's capital Jakarta and said that ASEAN is the central pillar of India's Act East policy and it has an important place in India's Indo-Pacific initiative.

In his address to the Summit, PM Modi stated that the India-ASEAN partnership has reached its fourth decade and it is an honour for him to co-chair the Summit. He also congratulated Indonesian President Joko Widodo for organising the Summit.