LIVE: India, China to hold another 'working mechanism' meet on Thursday

The WMCC talks are headed by joint secretary-level officials from both sides. Stay tuned for the latest news of the day

Latest news today live updates: A meeting of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) is expected to take place on Thursday as part of the dialogue between the two countries for disengagement along LAC in Eastern Ladakh and de-escalation of troops.

In another major development, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal for leasing out airports at Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram through public-private partnership (PPP). Adani Enterprises had won the rights to run six airports -- Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati -- through PPP model after a competitive bidding process in February 2019.

A cabinet meeting today was to consider the state-run Airports Authority of India’s (AAI) proposal to sign a concession agreement with Adani Enterprises for public-private partnership of airports in Guwahati, Jaipur, and Thiruvananthapuram is lined up for consideration.
 

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has rejected plea filed by actress Rhea Chakraborty for the transfer of an FIR lodged against her in Patna, for allegedly abetting the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, to Mumbai.

Stay tuned for the latest news of the day

3:08 AM

Imran Khan says Pakistan won't have diplomatic relations with Israel

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has categorically rejected any possibility of establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, according to a media report.

 

"Our policy on Israel is clear: The Quaid-i-Azam (Muhammad Ali Jinnah) had said that Pakistan can never accept state of Israel until the people of Palestine get rights and an independent state, Khan said in an interview with private news channel Dunya TV' on Tuesday.

 

Pakistan and Israel do not have diplomatic relations and their aircraft are not allowed to use each other's airspace.

3:08 AM

PepsiCo hires WTO head Roberto Azevedo as chief corporate affairs officer

Departing World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevedo will join PepsiCo as chief corporate affairs officer, the soft drink and snack foods giant said on Wednesday as the WTO remains far from deciding on a successor.

 

PepsiCo said in a statement that Azevedo will oversee its public policy, government affairs and communications efforts in a newly created role that works with governments, international organisations and other stakeholders.

 

8:59 PM

Yanam district of Puducherry flooded due to rise in the water level of river Godavari

8:53 PM

Latest News LIVE: Railways mulls health insurance cover for employees

The Railways on Wednesday said it is contemplating to widen the scope of medical treatment of its 13 lakh employees by providing them a health insurance scheme, according to a PTI report.

 

In a statement, the national transporter said it was already providing medical health facilities to its employees and their dependant family members through 'Railway Employees Liberalized Health Scheme' and 'Central Government Health Services'.

 

"Indian Railways is now proposing to widen the scope of medical treatment of railway employees," it said.

8:43 PM

Sushant Singh Rajput case: CBI team to visit Mumbai for probe into actor's death

After getting a nod from the Supreme Court to probe actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, a CBI team will visit Mumbai to investigate the case further, according to a PTI report. The CBI, which took over the probe into an FIR registered by the Bihar Police on the basis of a compaint by Rajput's father KK Singh, is yet to visit the megacity regarding the investigation.

 

It has collected relevant material from the Bihar police and has also spoken to some stakeholders in the case, they said. The Supreme Court on Wednesday handed over the probe to the CBI which has already registered an FIR in the matter.

8:27 PM

National Recruitment Agency to conduct online test for govt jobs twice a year: Jitendra Singh

Terming the setting up of a National Recruitment Agency as "historic", Union minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said it will conduct an online Common Eligibility Test for shortlisting candidates for majority of central government jobs twice a year, according to a PTI report. He said the multiple recruitment examinations are a burden on the candidates, as also on the respective recruitment agencies, involving avoidable or repetitive expenditure, law and order or security-related issues and venue-related problems.

 

Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, said on an average 2.5-3 crore candidates appear in each of these examinations, but a Common Eligibility Test (CET) would enable these candidates to appear once and apply to any or all of these recruitment agencies for the higher level of examination.

 

"This would indeed be a boon to all the candidates," he said. Singh said there will be two tests per year under the NRA and the scores of the candidates will remain valid for three years.

8:16 PM

Latest News LIVE: Supreme Court dumps plea against Vikas Dubey probe panel

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the probe into the encounter of gangster Vikas Dubey would be held in public domain, and, as a result, there would be a sufficient safeguard to the way the inquiry is held, according to a PTI report.

 

A bench, headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, dismissed a plea filed by advocate Ghanshyam Upadhyay seeking to disband the three-member inquiry commission, headed by Justice B.S. Chauhan (retd), tasked to investigate the extrajudicial killing of Dubey by the Uttar Pradesh Police.

 

The top court said: "The enquiry held would be in public domain and the petitioner has already been granted the liberty of participating therein. The report of the enquiry is ordered to be filed in the petitions which were filed before this court. Therefore, there would be a sufficient safeguard to the manner in which the inquiry would be held."

8:03 PM

777 villages across 16 districts of Uttar Pradesh affected due to flood, 520 villages marooned: CMO

7:50 PM

'One nation, one test' for majority of govt jobs; Cabinet nod to National Recruitment Agency

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved creation of a National Recruitment Agency (NRA) to conduct an online Common Eligibility Test for selecting candidates for majority of central government jobs, according to a PTI report.

 

Briefing the media on the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said it was a historic decision that will allow job-seekers take one common test and save costs and time spent on writing multiple exams.

 

The NRA will set up examination centres in every district of the country to help youths, especially women, from rural and far flung areas of the country, as they won't be required to travel to another place to take recruitment tests, the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said.

7:33 PM

Flood-like situation in Puducherry's Yanam due to a rise in water level of river Godavari

7:26 PM

Latest News LIVE update: Bhagat Singh Koshyari sworn in as Goa Governor

7:21 PM

National Recruitment Agency would create a uniform transformative recruitment process: Amit Shah

6:49 PM

India, China likely to hold another meeting tomorrow, discuss disengagement along LAC in Ladakh

A meeting of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) is expected to take place on Thursday as part of the dialogue between the two countries for disengagement along LAC in Eastern Ladakh and de-escalation of troops, according to an ANI report.

 

The seventeenth meeting of WMCC was held last month in which the two countries agreed that early and complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from India-China border areas in accordance with bilateral agreement and protocols and full restoration of peace and tranquillity was essential for smooth overall development of bilateral relations.

 

The WMCC talks are headed by joint secretary-level officials from both sides.

6:36 PM

Latest News LIVE update: Kerala's Rajamala landslide death toll rises to 62

6:20 PM

Tamil Nadu govt announces ex-gratia of Rs 300,000 each to kin of deceased in Rajamala landslide

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami on Wednesday announced ex-gratia of Rs 300,000 each to the kin of deceased in Rajamala landslide. Financial assistance of Rs 100,000 each was also announced for the severely injured people in the landslide.

 

The death toll in the Rajamala landslide, which was triggered by torrential rains, rose to 62 after a nine-year-old boy's body was recovered in the search operations in Pettimudi in Idukki district of Kerala. The incident occurred in the Idukki district on August 7. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the government will ensure the rehabilitation of the families affected in the landslide.