LIVE: Blinken seeks more concrete Indo-US cooperation in meeting with Modi

Live news: Opposition parties decide to work to together in Parliament, build pressure on government to explain spyware controversy.

12:55 AM

Blinken and PM Modi discuss efforts to deepen US-India global partnership

11:37 PM

Indian democracy powered by its free-thinking citizens; US applauds it as force of good: Blinken

Indian democracy is powered by its free-thinking citizens and the US applauds the country as a "force for good" in defence of a free and open Indo-Pacific as well as for a free and open world, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday after holding talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on a range of pressing issues.

 

India and the US also made a strong push for the intra-Afghan peace process to end violence in Afghanistan and ensure that it does not become home to terrorism, and vowed to deepen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and on COVID-19 response and economic recovery.

 

The discussions also covered the expansion of cooperation under the Quad framework, maritime security issues, counterterrorism, connectivity, climate change, education, the situation in Myanmar and ways to ensure resilient and reliable supply chains.

 

"There are few relationships in the world that are more vital than the one between the United States and India. We are two of the world's leading democracies, and our diversity fuels our national strength," Blinken said at a joint media briefing with Jaishankar at the end of the talks.

10:35 PM

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on PM Narendra Modi earlier today

10:08 PM

India will continue to make vital contributions to Afghanistan's stability: Blinken

The US on Wednesday said that there can be no military solution to the Afghan conflict and India has and will continue to make vital contributions to Afghanistan's stability and development as a leader and a critical American partner in the region.

 

The clear assertion was made by visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar after the two sides held extensive discussions on the evolving situation in Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban making rapid advances across the country.

 

Blinken, the third senior member of the Biden administration to visit India this year, arrived in the national capital on Tuesday evening on a two-day visit in the midst of a deteriorating security scenario in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of American troops.

9:40 PM

Blinken announces $25 million for India's Covid vaccination programme

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday announced that his country will provide USD 25 million to support India's vaccination programme as the two sides held wide-ranging talks on further boosting cooperation in dealing with the pandemic and its adverse impacts.

 

At a media briefing after talks with Blinken, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked the US for its "truly exceptional" support to India during the second wave of the pandemic and for keeping the supply chain for raw material open for vaccine production in India.

 

Jaishankar also said that the travel challenges resulting from the coronavirus pandemic were also discussed.

 

Separately, at an event in the US embassy, Blinken said by the end of August, the mission plans to conduct 68,000 student visa interviews which would be the "highest" in years.

8:49 PM

Issues with new income tax portal to be resolved soon, says FM

With glitches still haunting the new income tax portal, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said she wished the Infosys-developed website did not have such a launch but hoped issues will be sorted out soon. Sitharaman said Infosys had done trial runs before the June 7 launch but users faced technical issues in accessing the portal. Read here

8:42 PM

Latest LIVE: 14 die in last 24 hours due to heavy rains, floods in Himachal

Latest LIVE: 14 die in last 24 hours due to heavy rains, floods in Himachal

8:04 PM

Amarinder urges PM Modi to reopen Kartarpur corridor

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reopen the Kartarpur corridor so that devotees could visit the shrine dedicated to Sikh Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan. Pilgrimage to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara was suspended in March 2020 because of the Covid-19 outbreak. In a letter to the PM, Singh said his government will be happy to work in conjunction with the Union government to ensure adherence to proper Covid-19 protocols, including testing and vaccination of pilgrims using the corridor, according to an official release. He hoped for a positive consideration by the PM in this regard. (PTI)

7:24 PM

HCL Tech names Jill Kouri as Global Chief Marketing Officer

IT services major HCL Technologies on Wednesday said it has appointed Jill Kouri as its Chief Marketing Officer. Kouri, who has nearly 30 years of corporate and agency B2B services experience, will lead the company's global marketing programmes to advance HCL's focus on helping companies reimagine their business for the digital age, a statement said. "As HCL continues to drive its strategy to be the digital partner of choice for global enterprises and reinforce its industry-leading ESG practices, it is imperative to strengthen our marketing leadership," HCL Technologies CEO and Managing Director C Vijayakumar said. (PTI)

7:08 PM

16 security personnel killed during counter-terror operations on Indo-Pak border till June this year: Govt

Sixteen security forces personnel made the supreme sacrifice during counter-terrorist operations on the India-Pakistan border between January to June this year, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said on Wednesday. "The details of soldiers (including Central Armed Police Force personnel) martyred due to counter terrorist operations during last three years are as under: 80 in 2019; 62 in 2020; 16 in 2021 (upto June)," he said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha. (PTI)

7:05 PM

Kejriwal meets Mamata Banerjee in Delhi

6:17 PM

Boeing posts first profit in about 2 years

Boeing Co on Wednesday posted its first quarterly profit in almost two years, as deliveries of its best-selling 737 MAX jets to airlines gained traction amid a sharp rebound in travel bookings following an increase in global Covid-19 vaccinations. The 737 MAX is integral to Boeing's financial recovery, as the US planemaker scrambles to recoup billions of dollars in lost sales from the pandemic, and deals with production-related structural defects of its bigger, more profitable 787 planes. Read here

6:02 PM

India has received 26 Rafale aircraft till date: Govt

India has so far received 26 Rafale aircraft out of the 36 it has ordered from Dassault Aviation, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said Wednesday. "The delivery of 36 Rafale aircraft is proceeding as per schedule. As on date, a total of 26 aircraft have been accepted and ferried to India," Bhatt said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha. (PTI)

5:14 PM

Latest News: Sebi mulls IPO reforms on book building, price band aspects

Markets regulator Sebi is contemplating reforms in the IPO norms, especially on the book building, fixed price aspects and certain provisions pertaining to price band, its chief Ajay Tyagi said on Wednesday. Apart from initial public offer (IPO), the regulator is looking into further reforms on preferential issue front, Tyagi said at the FICCI's annual Capital Market Conference. He further said that the focus on review of equity fund raising norms will continue in the near future. (PTI)

4:52 PM

Changes to LLP Act boost Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Anurag Thakur

To provide ease of doing business benefits to law-abiding corporators in LLP firms, the criminality has been removed. A penalty in the form of a fine has been decided for violations of general trends. This boosts Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Union Minister Anurag Thakur