Jaishankar: 75% of disengagement problems with China sorted out

Indian and Chinese diplomats signalled some progress in negotiations to resolve the military standoff between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that about 75 per cent of the "disengagement problems" with China have been "sorted out" but the "bigger issue" has been the increasing 

Naidu: Discussed early resumption of direct flights with the Chinese

The resumption of direct passenger flights between India and China was discussed in a meeting between Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu and Song Zhiyong, Administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Putin proposes bilateral with Modi during BRICS summit on Oct 22

Two months after they met in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan next month when NSA Ajit Doval called on him in St Petersburg.

After the meeting between Putin and Doval, the Kremlin said, "On September 12, Russia's President Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St Petersburg." 

Allegation of crime no ground for demolition of property: SC

The Supreme Court said that "alleged involvement in crime is no ground for demolition of a property" and that it "cannot be oblivious to such demolition threats inconceivable in a nation where the law is supreme".

"In a country where actions of the State are governed by the rule of law, the transgression by a family member cannot invite action against other members of the family or their legally constructed residence. 

Alleged involvement in crime is no grounds for the demolition of a property. Moreover, the alleged crime has to be proved through due legal process in a Court of law. 

The Court cannot be oblivious to such demolition threats inconceivable in a nation where law is supreme. Otherwise, such actions may be seen as running a bulldozer over the laws of the land", a three-judge bench presided by Justice Hirhsikesh Roy said. 

Adani, Bangladesh 'have to sit and sort out issues', says MEA

As the interim government of Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus, is set to scrutinise Indian businesses including the Adani Group, which exports power from its Jharkhand unit, the Ministry of External Affairs said that it is a "buyer-seller" agreement between two parties - an Indian private firm and the Bangladesh government - and they will "have to sit and sort out issues".

The interim government in Dhaka is set to scrutinise Indian businesses including the Adani Group, which exports power from its Jharkhand unit, under a 2017 agreement. More specifically, the interim government is keen to know the terms of the agreement and if the price being paid for power is justified. 

US to host 4th Quad Summit on Sept 21

The US announced that President Joe Biden will host the fourth in-person Quad Leaders Summit in Wilmington, Delaware.

With this announcement, it becomes clear that Washington has taken the initiative to host the leaders' summit - which was originally scheduled to happen in India. It was India's turn to host the summit, and it had proposed to hold it in January this year, around Republic Day, but it did not materialise.

Consequently, it was decided that Biden wanted to host the summit as the US President in a sort of parting gift before he debits office. So, they swapped and India will now host the summit in 2025.

Under Mission Mausam, need-based enhanced rain, radar cover by 2026

The Newly-Launched Mission Mausam will not just help in improving weather forecasts in the country but also enable the Met department to develop capabilities to 'manage' certain weather events, like enhancing or suppressing rainfall over an area according to requirements, a top government official said. 

"Eventually, we have to move in that direction from just weather forecasting to weather management. For example, if incessant rains are happening in an area resulting in floods, we can try to suppress rainfall. Alternatively, if an area is not getting enough rainfall, we can try to engineer rainfall over that area," M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, said. 

Retail inflation edges up to 3.65% in August fuelled by rising food prices

Retail inflation inched higher to 3.65 per cent in August from the five-year low print of 3.60 per cent in July mainly on account of a rise in food prices even as it continued to remain below the 4 per cent mark in the 4+/- 2 per cent band of medium-term inflation target set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) showed.

After slipping to a 13-month low of 5.42 per cent in July, food inflation based on the Combined Food Price Index (CFPI) increased to 5.66 per cent in August led by an uptick in perishables such as vegetables and fruits. 

Data released separately showed the country's factory output for July, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), inched higher to 4.8 per cent from a five-month low of 4.7 per cent primarily led by growth in manufacturing output. The headline retail inflation rate was initially estimated at 3.54 per cent in July, which has now been revised up to 3.60 per cent. 

WHO evacuates nearly 100 patients from Gaza in biggest such operation

The World Health Organisation said that it had carried out a rare evacuation of 97 people, around half of them children, from Gaza to the United Arab Emirates for medical treatment, and urged the resumption of regular such transfers.

The Israel-Hamas conflict has decimated Gaza's health system and only 17 out of 36 hospitals are currently partially functioning, the WHO estimates. The main Rafah crossing for medical transfers out of Gaza to Egypt has been shut since May when Israel ramped up its campaign in south Gaza. 

"This was the largest evacuation yet from Gaza since October 2023," Richard Peeperkom, WHO Representative for the occupied Palestinian territory told reporters of the operation.

Health cover for the elderly

A day after the Union cabinet approved the expansion of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) health cover to all Indians of age 70 years and older irrespective of their income, officials said registration for the expanded insurance scheme was likely to begin within a week. 

The scheme may be formally launched by the Prime Minister subsequently, they said.

AB PM-JAY is already the world's largest public health insurance scheme. It provides free cover up to Rs 5 lakh annually to all members of eligible families-estimated to comprise the bottom 40% of the population economically irrespective of age.

From Ashokan times to now, Sanchi to Europe, the story of the Great Stupa

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stopped by the replica of the East Gate of Sanchi's Great Stupa standing in front of the Humboldt Forum Museum in Berlin.

The ornate red sandstone gateway, which was unveiled in December 2022, is a 1:1 reproduction of the original structure standing at almost 10 metres high and 6 metres wide, and weighing roughly 150 tonnes.