Updates: India, China agree to work to rebuild mutual trust in defence ministers meet

Latest news updates: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

India and China on Wednesday agreed to work towards a roadmap for rebuilding mutual trust and understanding with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh calling for drawing lessons from the "unfortunate border clashes" of 2020 during talks with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun. The two defence ministers met in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, weeks after Indian and Chinese militaries completed disengagement of troops from two last face-off points in eastern Ladakh.

  The state government cannot be permitted to apply different yardsticks for different accused, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday while granting bail to a man in a criminal case lodged in West Bengal. The apex court noted the state does not propose to challenge the order granting anticipatory bail to four other co-accused in the case, though the court had given suggestions in that regard.

  Delhi High Court has stayed the trial court proceedings against senior Congress leader P Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate. The high court also issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and sought its response on Chidambaram's petition challenging the trial court's order taking cognisance of the chargesheet filed by the agency against him and his son Karti in the money laundering case.  Guyana will confer its highest national award, “The Order of Excellence” on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Barbados will confer the prestigious Honorary Order of Freedom of Barbados. Dominica had also announced its top award for PM Modi a few days back. The number of international honours for PM Modi reached 19.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Georgetown on his official visit to Guyana where he was welcomed by President Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali and Prime Ministers of Grenada and Barbados along with four other ministers of Guyana. He had left for Guyana on the last leg of his three-nation tour after attending the G20 Summit in Brazil, where he met global leaders, including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.  Delhi Police conducted vehicle checks on Tuesday night to ensure the proper implementation of Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). GRAP Stage IV enforces a ban on the operation of Delhi-registered BS-IV and older diesel-operated medium goods vehicles (MGVs) and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), except those engaged in essential services. Stage IV of GRAP has been in effect since 8:00 AM on November 18, in response to deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR.  Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Tuesday (local time) stated that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi reviewed the progress in recent disengagement efforts along the India-China border during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Brazil. Misri noted that this meeting was mandated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the BRICS Summit held last month.

 

10:41 PM

Affordable, accessible education necessary to empower students, says ABVP president

Stressing the need for affordable and accessible education to empower students, ABVP national president Rajsharan Shahi on Wednesday said efforts should be taken to make education inclusive and accessible to all. Shahi was speaking during the ABVP's central executive meeting held at Deendayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University during which discussions centered on education and societal concerns

10:16 PM

Karnataka to reissue BPL cards for eligible families, says deputy CM Shivakumar

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday assured families living Below the Poverty Line that the government will reissue BPL cards to eligible households if their cards were mistakenly cancelled. The assurance follows controversy over reports that over 22.6 lakh BPL cardholders were deemed ineligible, prompting criticism from the opposition BJP. The party accused the ruling Congress of mishandling the issue.

10:02 PM

NCLT stays Aakash's EGM resolution to amend Articles of Association

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Wednesday stayed a resolution related to amendment in the Articles of Association (AoA) of Aakash Educational Services which allegedly seeks to dilute the rights of petitioners including Singapore VII Topco I. An Extra Ordinary General Meeting (EGM) of Aakash Educational Services was scheduled to be held on Wednesday to consider and approve alteration in the AoA, which was objected to by the petitioners.

9:40 PM

Shivraj Singh Chouhan announces incentive for soyabean and cotton cultivators

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday addressed the media and spoke on additional Rs 5,000 hectares in the bank accounts of soyabean and cotton cultivators. "Soyabean and cotton cultivators are being given an additional Rs 5,000 hectare in their accounts. The import duty on edible oils from Malaysia and Indonesia has also been effectively increased to 27.5 percent," he said.

9:19 PM

Donald Trump picks Matthew Whitaker as nominee for Nato ambassador

President-elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday he has chosen former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to be the US ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato).

9:18 PM

US vetoes UN resolution demanding cease-fire in Gaza as there's no link to hostage release

The United States vetoed a UN resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the war in Gaza on Wednesday because it is not linked to an immediate release of hostages taken captive by Hamas in Israel in October 2023. The UN Security Council voted 14-1 in favour of the resolution sponsored by the 10 elected members on the 15-member council, but it was not adopted because of the US veto. The resolution that was put to a vote demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire to be respected by all parties, and further reiterates its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

9:14 PM

MP bypolls: Vijaypur records 17.86% turnout, Budhni 16.9% till 9 am

A voter turnout of 17.86 per cent was recorded in Vijaypur and 16.90 per cent in Budhni till 9 am as polling was underway on Wednesday for byelections to the two assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh, a poll official said.

9:08 PM

J&K CM Omar Abdullah expresses concern over neglect of agriculture

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday expressed concern over the neglect of agriculture and said the contributions of farmers and the agriculture and allied sectors often go unnoticed. Abdullah emphasized the critical role of agriculture in addressing climate change and improving the economy of Jammu and Kashmir.

7:39 PM

India, China agree to work to rebuild mutual trust

India and China on Wednesday agreed to work towards a roadmap for rebuilding mutual trust and understanding with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh calling for drawing lessons from the "unfortunate border clashes" of 2020 during talks with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun. The two defence ministers met in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, weeks after Indian and Chinese militaries completed disengagement of troops from two last face-off points in eastern Ladakh.

7:22 PM

Karnataka pitches for 50% of national market share in its draft space tech policy

To boost Karnataka's contribution to 50 per cent of the national market share and transform the state into a global destination for space technologies, the government on Wednesday unveiled a draft space technology policy. The Draft Karnataka Space Technology Policy, 2024-29 was released at the 27th Bengaluru Tech Summit during the session on space tech and defence.

7:10 PM

Rajasthan govt to soon come out with Clean Energy Policy 2024

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Wednesday said the state government will soon come out with the Clean Energy Policy 2024, which will focus on non-renewable sources.

6:53 PM

Stung by inflation, beer makers' body demands price increase by 35-40% in Telangana

The Brewers Association of India (BAI), a federation representing some of India's largest beer makers such as United Breweries, AB InBev, and Carlsberg, on Wednesday, urged the Telangana government to immediately allow price increases for alcoholic beverages to compensate for inflation.

6:31 PM

Army chief arrives in Nepal; to receive Honorary General rank from President Paudel

Indian Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi arrived here on Wednesday on an official visit to Nepal during which he will be conferred the honorary rank of "General of the Nepal Army" in continuation of an age-old tradition that first started in 1950, reflecting the strong ties between the two militaries.

6:05 PM

Investments worth Rs 85,000 cr cleared to create 34,000 jobs in state, says Andhra CM Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday said that the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) has cleared investments worth Rs 85,000 to create 34,000 jobs. Addressing the assembly, the chief minister noted that these investments were cleared in the first SIPB meeting held on November 19.

5:53 PM

Kuki organiation KOHUR condemns killing of Meitei women, children

The Kuki Organisation For Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) has condemned the killing of six Meitei women and children by militants in Jiribam district and urged the administration to arrest those involved in the heinous act that sparked large-scale protests in the state. The KOHUR also demanded that the government also bring to book the people who killed a number Kuki-Zo women and children since May last year