Russia and US reach agreement on Syrian ceasefire

Updated on : 10-09-2016 08:16 AM

The United States and Russia have agreed a plan to impose a ceasefire in the Syrian civil war and lay the foundation of a peace process.

US Secretary of State John Kerry made this announcement along with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after a day of marathon talks in Geneva.  Kerry said he believed the plan would lead to talks to stop the conflict and resume movement towards a negotiated peace and a political transition in Syria. He said that the truce would come into force on Monday and that if it lasted a week, United States would begin cooperation with Russian forces to target the Nusra Front and Islamic State groups.  Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that despite continuing mistrust, the two sides had developed documents that would enable coordination of the fight against terrorism and a revival of Syria's failed truce in an enhanced form.

Market extend gain for second week, up 265 points

Mumbai, Sep 10 (PTI) Stocks: The benchmark BSE Sensex extended its rise for the second consecutive week, gaining 265.14 points to finish at 28,797.25, while the broader Nifty rose 57.05 points to close at 8,866.70.

Carrying on its bullishness, the truncated week saw the market opening on a positive note towered by confidence over global liquidity amid shrinking fears of US Fed rate hike any time soon due to weaker-than-expected US jobs data and also a commanding three-and-a-half year high domestic service sector growth.

The frenzy took the key indices to 17-months highs to reclaim 29k-level and Nifty to above 8,950-level, it was soon to be drained on fresh global caution after North Korea tested a nuclear warhead and European Central Bank's (ECB) failure to deliver on new stimulus measures in its meet.

Stock specific news also ruled the week's momentum with Auto stocks surging on rise in domestic passenger vehicle sales for 14th straight month in August, while IT and Teck stock sliding following services major TCS's outlook warning.

For the week, the Sensex opened higher at 28,631.27 and hovered in a range of 29,077.28 and 28,631.27 before closing at 28,797.25, showing a gain of 265.14 points, or 0.93 per cent. The market had gained 1015 points during two weeks.

The broader Nifty also rose to 57.05 points, or 0.65 per cent, to 8,866.70 after moving between a high of 8,968.70 and a low of 8,848.45. It also gained 294.15 points in two weeks.

Buying was led by Realty, Auto, HealthCare, Capital Goods, Bankex, Consumer Durables, Oil&Gas, Power, Metal, PSUs and FMCG sectors firmly supported by smallcap and midcap companies shares.

While, IT and Teck shares witnessed intense profit- booking.

No relief for Delhi govt. from Supreme Court

No relief for Delhi Government as Supreme Court refuses to stay Delhi High Court order giving primacy to L-G in administration of NCT; SC issues notice to Centre on Delhi govt's appeal.

There seems to be no end to the troubles and controversies for Aam Admi Party. The latest issue confronting and embarassing AAP comes from Delhi High Court judgement quashing AAP government's decision to appoint 21 MLAs as parliamentary secretaries.  The court observed that appointments were made without getting approval from the Lieutenant Governor.  It is out in the public that the Aam Admi Party which sailed Delhi assembly election with a thumping majority has lost its way on the promises of reforms and high moral grounds as many of the senior leaders of the party have found themselves facing all sorts of allegation from corruption to molestation and rape.  Former Delhi minister Sandeep Kumar has been sent to 14 days judicial custody by Delhi's Tis Hazari Court.  The Supreme Court has issued notice to Centre on six appeals of Delhi government challenging the Delhi High Court verdict that held that LG is administrative head of national capital.  The Supreme Court has not given any stay on Delhi High Court judgement. Delhi Government said there are 400 files with LG. All of them pertains to decision taken by Delhi Government without approval from LG.  The LG has formed a committee to review all those 400 decisions. Delhi Government sought stay on the working of the committee because it may hamper the Govt. Work. But SC refused to intervene in the working of the committee as of now. SC issued notice to Centre and seeks reply. Next hearing would be held on 15th November.

India-ASEAN vow to combat terrorism in all its forms

 Vientiane, Sep 8 (PTI) Recognising terrorism as a significant threat to peace and stability in the region, India and the 10-member ASEAN today made a strong commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

"We express our determination to take concrete measures to step up cooperation and coordination among our law enforcement and security agencies," said a declaration at the end of the 14th ASEAN-India summit here, stressing that there can be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the leaders attending the summit that "In the face of growing traditional and non-traditional challenges political security cooperation is a key emerging feeler of our relationships." 

Rising export of terror, growing radicalisation through ideology of hatred and spread of extreme violence defines landscape of common security threats to our societies, he said.

"The threat is local, regional and transitional at the same time. Our partnership with ASEAN seeks to craft a response that relies on coordination cooperation at multiple levels," he noted.

The countries recognised the need to counter and prevent the spread of violent extremism and radicalism that leads to acts of terrorism.

ASEAN and India also supported the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, currently under negotiation at the United Nations.

"We agreed to cooperate towards addressing traditional and non-traditional security challenges, including in areas of deradicalization and prevention of violent extremism," the declaration added.

The 10-member ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Sensex above 29,000 after 17 months, rises 119 pts

Mumbai, Sep 8 (PTI) The benchmark BSE Sensex closed above 29,000-mark for the first in 17 months after rising 119 points today on buying in auto and realty sectors, while IT stocks took a heavy beating following TCS' outlook warning.

This triggered selling in IT counters with the country's largest software services firm TCS' falling by 5.14 per cent to Rs 2,321.15. Wipro plunged 1.77 per cent Rs 473.60 and Infosys tanked 1.62 per cent to Rs 1,037.90.

Among gainers, auto stocks were in limelight, after Siam raised growth guidance for the industry. Sector leader Maruti Suzuki hit an all-time high after rising 2.71 per cent to Rs 5,482.40. Bajaj Auto soared 3.55 per cent to Rs 3,091.95.

Tracking gains in bluechip stocks, investors were also seen building up position in broader markets, lifting the small-cap and mid-cap indices by 0.83 and 0.15 per cent.

"Market turned positive with continued liquidity while IT bellwethers were the laggards today due to reduction in revenue estimate, which capped the upside," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services.

With the US data continuing to diminish chances of a September rate hike by the Federal Reserve, domestic equities continued to attract interest.

The 30-share BSE barometer after a slightly better start, quickly slipped into the negative zone and touched a low of 28,854.56 on profit-booking in select scrips.

However, on emergence of buying it staged a strong comeback to hit a high of 29,077.28 before finally settling 118.92 points or 0.41 per cent higher at 29,045.28, its highest closing since April 13, last year.

The 50-share index ended up by 34.55 points to finish the day at 8,952.50 after shuttling between 8,896 and 8,960.35.

Sentiment also got a boost after domestic passenger vehicle sales grew for a 14th straight month in August with a 16.68 per cent increase, triggering buying activity in select auto sector stocks.

Globally, Asian markets mostly ended mixed with Hong Kong and Shanghai rising as investors cheered data showing Chinese imports rose in August for the first time in almost two years.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.75 per cent, while Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.13 per cent. However, Japan's Nikkei fell 0.32 per cent.

Europe was also mixed with the UK's FTSE higher by 0.35 per cent, however, Germany's DAX was down 0.19 per cent, while France's CAC 40 was 0.06 per cent lower. .

GSLV Successfully Launches India’s Weather Satellite INSAT-3DR

 

In its tenth flight (GSLV-F05) conducted today, India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, equipped with the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS), successfully launched the country's weather satellite INSAT-3DR, into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The achieved orbit is very close to the intended one. The launch took place from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota, the spaceport of India. This was the first operational flight of GSLV equipped with CUS and the fourth to carry the indigenous CUS. Today’s GSLV flight was the third consecutive success achieved by GSLV carrying indigenous CUS and the 2211 kg INSAT-3DR is the heaviest satellite to be launched from the Indian soil. 

In its oval shaped GTO, the INSAT-3DR satellite is now orbiting the Earth with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 169.76 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 36,080.5 km with an orbital inclination of 20.62 deg with respect to the equator. 

After a 29 hour 40 minutes countdown, the 415 tonne, 49 m tall GSLV-F05 carrying INSAT-3DR, lifted off at the rescheduled time of 16:50 Hrs IST. The 40 minute delay in the launch was due to an anomaly observed in the functioning of a pressure release valve in the liquid Oxygen filling ground segment which was resolved later. 

At 4.8 seconds before the countdown reached zero, the four liquid propellant strap-on stages of GSLV-F05, each carrying 42 tonne of liquid propellants, were ignited. At count zero and after confirming the normal performance of all the four strap-on motors, the 139 tonne solid propellant first stage core motor was ignited and GSLV lifted off. The major phases of the flight included the core motor burn-out, strap on burn-out, ignition of the second stage, separation of the core motor together with strap-ons, payload fairing separation, second stage separation, CUS ignition and its timely shut down after satisfactory performance. About seventeen minutes after lift-off, INSAT-3DR was successfully placed in GTO. 

Soon after its injection into GTO, the solar array of INSAT-3DR was automatically deployed and the Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka took control of the satellite. 

Like its predecessor INSAT-3D which is providing service from orbit since 2013, INSAT-3DR is an advanced meteorological (weather observation) satellite built by India to provide a variety inputs essential for accurate weather forecasting. For this, it is equipped with three payloads (instruments), namely, a Multispectral Imager, Sounder and weather Data Relay Transponder. INSAT-3DR also carries a satellite aided Search and Rescue Transponder that picks up and relays alert signals originating from distress beacons of maritime, aviation and land based users. 

In the coming days, INSAT-3DR's orbit will be raised from its present GTO to the final circular Geostationary Orbit (GSO) by firing the satellite's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) in stages. The satellite will be commissioned into service after the completion of orbit raising operations and the satellite’s positioning in its designated orbital slot of 74 degree East longitude in the GSO and in-orbit testing of its payloads. 

Today’s flight of GSLV further highlights the success of ISRO in mastering the highly complex cryogenic rocket propulsion technology. 

Pak must do more to eliminate terrorist safe havens: US envoy

 New Delhi, Sep 7 (PTI) The US today asked Pakistan to do more to eliminate terrorist safe havens saying terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed continue to be a threat to everyone.

"We're also aware India is located in a challenging neighbourhood and the United States has been very clear, at the highest levels, that Pakistan can and must do more to eliminate terrorist safe havens," US Ambassador to India Richard R. Verma said at the US-India Expert Workshop on Countering Terrorist Use of the Internet.

Verma said last year, the US and India signed a Joint Declaration on combating terrorism, which outlined a shared vision for counter terrorism cooperation and reiterated the "concerns about terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Haqqani Network, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and others".

"Across the board, our security cooperation is making our two nations, and the world, a safer place... Our strategic convergence on countering-terrorism has never been closer," he said.

The Ambassador said terrorist groups are using digital technologies to recruit, radicalise, and finance terror activities across borders and to coordinate attacks from remote locations, where they are often beyond the reach of national authorities.

He said ISIL in particular, with its sophisticated use of social media, has changed the rules of the game. While ISIL has faced significant reversals in Iraq and Syria at the hands of the International Coalition, the group remains a clear and present threat in South Asia.

Prime Minister Modi meets Japan PM Abe in Laos

 Vientiane, Sep 7 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe after arriving here and discussed ways to strengthen strategic bilateral ties.

"Discussing stronger ties with Japan...PM Narendra Modi meets Japan PM Shinzo Abe," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted as the almost 45 minutes-long bilateral talks began.

Modi will attend the 14th ASEAN India Summit and 11th East Asia summit tomorrow. He will also have bilaterals with leaders of Myanmar and South Korea. There could be more "pull aside" talks tomorrow with leaders, officials said.

This is Modi's second meeting with Abe in less than six months. They had met on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in April.

Earlier, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that the two leaders are likely to discuss cooperation in the defence sector.

Japan's maritime self-defence force and the Indian and US navies conducted Malabar joint maritime security exercises in June and Japanese and Indian defence ministers agreed in July to repeat the joint drill next year.

The leaders are also expected to discuss investment and other economic cooperation, the report said.

Sensex zooms to 17-month high as Fed rate-hike fears ease

Mumbai, Sep 6 (PTI) Markets put up remarkable moves on Tuesday, with the Sensex surging by 446 points to hit a nearly 17-month high of 28,978.02, while the Nifty zoomed 133.35 points as investors were in a buoyant mood after a weak US jobs data diminished hopes of an interest-rate hike by the Fed.

Both the indices, Sensex and Nifty, recorded their biggest single-day gains in nearly two months.

Bulls took over as soon as the market reopened after a long gap, as weaker-than-expected US jobs data, released last week, reduced chances of a near-term US interest-rate hike.

A three-and-a-half year high in domestic services sector growth, led by new business orders amid improved market conditions, also perked up market momentum.

Auto and banking stocks were the pick of the day, with Tata Motors the biggest gainer on BSE, zooming 7.19 per cent to Rs 589.35, while private sector lender Axis bank followed with a gain of 6.14 per cent to Rs 635.35.

Among losers, TCS plunged by 1.17 per cent to Rs 2,484.05 and Coal India slipped by 1.11 per cent to Rs 328.80.

"Market is galloping due to continued global liquidity, revival in domestic MF inflows and expectation of strong earnings growth in H2FY17," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services.

The Sensex resumed gap-up at 28,631.27 and shot-up to an high of 29,013.40 before closing at a nearly 17-month high of 28,631.27, showing a gain of 445.91 points or 1.56 per cent.

It had closed at this level at 29,044.44 on April 13, 2015.

The 50-share NSE Nifty surged by 133.35 points or 1.51 per cent to an 18-month high of 8,943.00, after moving. The index has closed at 8,996.25 on March 3, 2015.

Second-line stocks also witnessed buying, lifting the mid-cap index by 1.84 per cent and small-cap by 0.95 per cent.

Rupee climbing to four-month highs against the dollar, as Urjit Patel begun his innings as the Reserve Bank Governor, too had a positive impact.

Overseas, European stock markets rose following gains in Asian equities as prospects for a US interest-rate increase this month remained subdued.

From Asia, Nikkei rose 0.26 per cent, Shanghai Composite edged up 0.61 per cent, Hang Seng surged 1.12 per cent while Kospi perked up 0.31 per cent.

Europe was also higher with Germany's Dax higher by 0.28 per cent, France's CAC 40 by 0.11 per cent, however, the UK's tumbled by 0.32 per cent.

Modi, Xi agree to put Sino-India ties on right direction:China

Hangzhou, Sep 6 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to make efforts to put India-China ties in the "right direction" and to "respect and accommodate" each other's concerns to avoid "impedance" relations, a top Chinese diplomat said today.

Modi and Xi met here on the sidelines of the G20 summit on September 4 amid differences over raft of issues.

"They agreed that efforts shall be made to orientate the development of China-India relations in the right direction," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a written reply to PTI today about how China viewed the meeting.

"The two sides also agreed to respect and accommodate each other's concerns and properly handle sensitive issues to avoid their impedance to the normal development of bilateral relations," Hua said in response to a question.

In the bilateral meeting with Xi, Modi raised India's concerns over the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) being laid through PoK and told Xi that "to ensure durable ties and their steady development, it is of paramount importance that we respect each other's aspirations, concerns and strategic interests".

Their meeting took place in the backdrop of steady decline in the relations over China's technical hold in UN over banning Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar and Beijing stalling India's bid to gain members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) besides CPEC.

Hua said the two leaders agreed to "enhance strategic communication, foster synergies between the development strategies of the two countries, expand exchanges and cooperation in various fields so as to further China-India strategic cooperative partnership".

After meeting Modi, Xi had said that "China is willing to work with India to maintain their hard-won sound relations and further advance cooperation".

"China and India should respect and care for each other on issues of major concern, and handle differences in a constructive way," Xi was quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency as saying.

Commenting on Modi-Xi meeting, Hu Shisheng, Director of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations affiliated to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said India-China ties faced serious tensions over issues relating to Pakistan.

He said Pakistan has become a visible negative factor in India-China relations.

"This may also be due to India's rapidly increasing relations with the US and Japan. Chinese scholars apprehend that the Cold War my come again. We should prevent that," he said and called for enhanced talks between the two countries.