PM Modi, Kamala Harris hold their first in person dialogue; discusses bilateral ties, Indo-Pacific
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice President Kamala Harris had bilateral talks on Thursday afternoon. Mr. Modi was received at the 150 year old Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which houses the Vice President’s ceremonial office.
Mr. Modi called Ms. Harris’s election an “important and historic event” and a source of inspiration for many, globally. Ms. Harris is the first female Vice President of the U.S., and is of African American and Indian descent. Mr. Modi appeared to refer to this India connection and invited Ms. Harris to visit .
Modi in U.S. | India and Japan reaffirm commitment for free, open Indo-Pacific ahead of Quad meeting
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Yoshihide Suga have reaffirmed their commitment towards a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, as they reviewed the multi-faceted bilateral relationship and exchanged views on recent global developments, including in Afghanistan, ahead of the first in-person Quad meeting to be hosted by US President Joe Biden.
Caste census of Backward Classes difficult: Centre
The government has made it clear in the Supreme Court that a caste census of the Backward Classes is “administratively difficult and cumbersome”.
Modi meets Adobe, Qualcomm CEOs on first day of U.S. visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off his first visit to the U.S. in two years, with meetings with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies in the morning.
Technology, energy and defence were the focus of Mr. Modi’s talks with industry heads on Thursday. Mr. Modi discussed technology, especially artificial intelligence, at the meeting with Adobe, according to Shantanu Narayen, the company’s head. Their discussion also included the “ever changing nature of media” and start-ups, he said, as well as how Adobe could be involved more with India.
Mr. Modi’s discussion with Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon included semiconductors, 5G technology, including India exporting this.
Defence Ministry places ₹7,523-crore order for 118 indigenous Arjun Mk-1A tanks
The Defence Ministry on Thursday placed an order with the Heavy Vehicle Factory (HVF), Avadi, for the supply of 118 indigenous Arjun Mk-1A Main Battle Tanks for the Army at a cost of ₹7,523 crore.
The MBT Arjun Mk-1A was designed and developed by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) along with the other laboratories of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
China sends fighter jets towards Taiwan
China sent 19 aircraft towards Taiwan on Thursday amid rising tensions across the straits, in the latest messaging from Beijing to both Taipei and Washington on its posture on the Taiwan issue.
The latest show of force came as Taiwan said it had submitted an application to join the 11-nation CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) trade deal, days after China said it had formally applied to join the Pacific pact.
UN says Myanmar faces risk of escalating civil war
Myanmar is facing the alarming prospect of an escalating civil war as an uprising against the military junta widens, the UN’s human rights chief warned on Thursday.
Michelle Bachelet told the United Nations Human Rights Council that time was running out for other countries to step up efforts to restore democracy and prevent a broader conflict.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since Aung San Suu Kyi’s government was ousted by the military in February.
2 die in Assam eviction drive
Two persons were killed and 11 others, including nine policemen, injured when a large mob clashed with the police during an eviction drive in northern Assam’s Darrang district on Thursday afternoon.
The incident happened at Dholpur 3, one of four areas the police had targeted for evicting about 800 families of Bengali-speaking Muslims “illegally occupying” about 4,500 bighas of government land. A similar eviction drive on September 20 had passed off peacefully, with some families dismantling their houses and moving elsewhere, officials said.
Trade unions to protest against National Monetisation Pipeline on October 7
A joint platform of 10 Central trade unions on Thursday said they would hold protests across the country on October 7 against the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), a plan to lease government assets announced in August.
The unions termed the policy “anti-national” and “destructive”. They would carry out a continuous campaign to spread an awareness of the impact of the NMP on common people. October 7 would be observed as “national protest day” with agitations at district-level.
Gotabaya for reconciliation through domestic institutions
A meaningful reconciliation with the Tamil community through domestic institutions is essential to achieve lasting peace in Sri Lanka, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said. Addressing the high-level UN General Debate here on Wednesday, he stressed that his government was ready to engage with all stakeholders and to obtain the support of its international partners in the process.
In 2019, Sri Lanka experienced the devastation wrought by extremist religious terrorists in the Easter Sunday attacks that killed over 250 people . “Before that, until 2009” the country “had suffered from a separatist terrorist war for 30 years, he said, referring to the conflict with the LTTE.
Sensex skyrockets 958 points to fresh peak as global markets brush aside hawkish Fed
The BSE Sensex vaulted 958 points to scale a fresh lifetime high on Thursday, propelled by across-the-board buying amid a positive trend in global equities despite hawkish comments from the U.S. Fed.
Robust gains in the rupee further buoyed sentiment, traders said.
Reversing the previous session's lethargy, the 30-share BSE Sensex zoomed 958.03 points or 1.63 % to end at an all-time high of 59,885.36. It scaled a new peak of 59,957.25 during the day.
Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty soared 276.30 points or 1.57 % to its new closing high of 17,822.95, after touching an intra-day record of 17,843.90.
‘Ford coercing dealers to sign non-disclosure pact’
Alleging ‘coercive efforts’ by Ford to get their channel partners to sign a non-disclosure agreement, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) has sought government intervention in the ongoing negotiations with Ford India.
FADA urged Heavy Industries Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey to formulate a task force to monitor the compensation structure being worked out by Ford India for dealer partners across the country and that a formal discussion be initiated on the ‘Automobile Dealers’ Protection Act’.
IPL 2021 | Venkatesh, Tripathi power Knight Riders to thumping win
Venkatesh Iyer (53, 30b, 4x4, 3x6) and Rahul Tripathi (74, 42b, 8x4, 3x6) made light of a target of 156 with some bold and brutal hitting to take Kolkata Knight Riders to a seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at Abu Dhabi on Thursday. The victory, with 4.5 overs to spare, took Eoin Morgan’s team to the top four.
Earlier, Rohit Sharma, donning the Mumbai Indians jersey for the first time in the second leg, gave his team a perfect start along with opening partner Quinton de Kock. Kieron Pollard played a cameo at the fag end. Still, the Kolkata Knight Riders bowling unit ensured its superlative performance against Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier in the week wasn’t a fluke, restricting Mumbai Indians to 155 for six.
MRF Formula 1600 class makes a comeback
The MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship will begin on Saturday at the MMRT behind closed doors with a card of nine races and 76 competitors in the fray.
Returning to the championship after a season’s break due to the pandemic, is the MRF Formula1600 class which will headline the two-day programme with a 12-car grid.
