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

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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 Aseanpartners on strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and charting its future course. He reaffirmed Asean's centrality in the Indo-Pacific and highlighted the synergies between India's Indo-Pacific Ocean's Initiative (IPOI) and Asean's Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). He also emphasized the need to complete the review of the Asean-India FTA (AITIGA) in a time-bound manner. Prime Minister presented a 12-point proposal for strengthening India – Asean cooperation covering connectivity, digital transformation, trade and economic engagement, addressing contemporary challenges, people-to-people contacts and deepening strategic engagement.

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.

US President Joe Biden is all set to visit India and is "very excited" about the important initiatives he will be championing at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, according to senior White House officials. Biden will follow the Covid-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit to India for the G20 Summit. First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. President Biden, 80, was tested for the virus on Monday and Tuesday following his wife's positive test, but his results were negative.

Ahead of the upcoming G20 Summit in the national capital, Delhi L-G VK Saxena takes stock of preparations & cleanliness of the city. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the ASEAN-India Summit at the Jakarta Convention Centre on Thursday. On his arrival at the Jakarta Convention Centre in Indonesia, PM Modi was welcomed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the centre. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who landed in Jakarta on Thursday early morning, received a grand welcome from the Indian community.

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.