North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in signed an agreement on denuclearisation, reducing military tensions and defusing crisis on the peninsula in Pyongyang today.

Mr Moon said Mr Kim had "agreed to permanently close the Tongchang-ri missile engine test site and missile launch facility". He added that this would be done "in the presence of experts from relevant nations" who could verify it was no longer operational.
The North Korean leader stated that the regime is willing to demolish the country's largest nuclear facility in Yongbyon if the US takes corresponding measures. Mr Kim also pledged to visit Seoul, the first visit by a North Korean leader to the South since the Korean War.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula will happen in the near future. He also expressed hope that the talks between North Korea and the US will be revived as soon as possible.

The leaders of the two militaries, South Korean defence Minister Song Young-moo and North Korea's Minister for the People's Armed Forces No Kwang-chol also signed a declaration.

Crop insurance companies delaying claim payouts beyond two months from the prescribed will have to pay 12 per cent interest to farmers as the government on Tuesday modified operational guidelines of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

Insurance firms, on the other hand, would get paid an interest of 12 per cent if State governments delay release of their share of subsidy beyond three months of the cut-off date or submission of requisition, an official statement issued here said.

The new operational guidelines come into force from the rabi season, which commences on October 1. BusinessLine had earlier reported the government’s plan to use a carrot-and-stick policy to make its flagship crop insurance scheme more effective following widespread complaints about delays in claim settlements.

The modified guidelines, on a pilot basis, included perennial horticulture crops under the crop insurance scheme. While hailstorms, unseasonal and cyclonic rainfall would be considered for assessing post-harvest losses, natural fire, landslide, inundation and cloudburst have been included in localised calamities. Crop loss due to attack of wild animals will also be covered.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved an ordinance making triple talaq a punishable offence on Wednesday. The step was taken after the government failed to pass the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, in the Rajya Sabha during the recent monsoon session.

Under the Ordinance, the crime will be taken into cognizance only when the woman herself or a blood relative filed a complaint. A compromise can be reached only after the wife discusses it with a magistrate. The magistrate can grant bail, but only after hearing the wife.

Addressing the media after the Cabinet meet, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said there was a “compelling necessity, an overpowering urgency” to approve the Ordinance. “I have said this before, the issue of triple talaq has nothing to do with faith, mode of worship or religion. It is a pure issue of gender justice, gender dignity and gender equality,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today described the cooperation between India and Bangladesh as an example for the world.

He was speaking while jointly unveiling with Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, the e-plaques for the ground-breaking ceremony of two projects, via video conference.

Mr. Modi said that the two countries are neighbours, geographically and family, emotionally. Mr Modi said the proposed pipeline will further energize, not just Bangladesh’s economy, but also the relationship between the two countries.

He expressed confidence that the proposed railway project will contribute to the process of strengthening national and urban transport in Bangladesh. The projects include India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline and Dhaka-Tongi-Joydebpur Railway Project.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, and Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan were also present.

Both countries had entered into an agreement for the pipeline construction in April this year during Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale's visit to Dhaka.

NEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind launched the logo and the web portal for the commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, at Rashtrapati Bhawan in the national capital.

The logo branding will be done in trains, Air India aircraft, state roadways buses, government websites, government advertisements besides public sector undertakings.

All-women crew of INSV Tarini has bagged the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure award for beating the odds in water with their enduring skills and sailing across the world for eight long months.

The award is the highest national recognition for outstanding achievements in the field of adventure on land, sea and air.

The women Navy officers had spent as many as 194 days at sea as part of a mission under the Navika Sagar Parikrama project that began in September last year. The crew was also bestowed with Nav Sena Medal on the occasion of 72nd Independence Day.

The team had arrived in Panaji, Goa on May 21 after successfully circumnavigating the globe for eight months. They also set a record by becoming the first-ever all-women crew to complete circumnavigation. Their expedition was covered in five legs, with

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of a proposed agreement with India to enable New Delhi to use the Chittagong and Mongla ports for goods movement to and from northeast India.

“The agreement would allow India to use Chattogram (Chittagong) and Mongla ports to carry goods to their northeastern states in a very short time,” Cabinet Secretary Shafiul Alam said after a Cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“A draft of the communication network being built for connectivity between the Chattogram and Mongla ports has been approved for India’s signing. One of the provisions says that Nepal and Bhutan can be added to the agreement if they wish,” he said.

He said the draft suggested the agreement to be effective for five years with a provision of automatic renewal for another five years while either of the countries could scrap it giving a six-month notice.

Four routes were suggested for goods movements which are Chattagram Port/Mongla Port-Agartala via Akhaura, Chattagram/Mongla-Daouki via Tamabil, Chattagram/ Mongla-Sutarkandi via Sheola, and Chattagram/Mongla-Bibekbazar via Simantapur.

But, Alam said, under the agreement only Bangladeshi vehicles and vessels would be used to carry the goods inside Bangladesh.

Mumbai: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) today approved a slew of proposals, including revised framework for settlement of cases and new know-your-customer (KYC) norms for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs). The proposals were cleared by the Sebi board at its meeting in Mumbai.

Sebi chairman Ajay Tyagi said the board has approved new KYC norms for FPIs and fresh guidelines would be issued soon. The market regulator has approved a proposal to allow foreign investors to trade in commodity derivatives market, except for sensitive commodities, as well as common application form for the registration of FPIs in the domestic markets, Tyagi told reporters after the board meeting.

The board has given its nod for amending delisting regulations. Further, interoperability of clearing houses for commodities and new methodology to calculate the total expenses ratio for fund managers have been cleared.

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal concluded his three-day visit to South Korea on Friday by signing a twin city agreement between Seoul and Delhi for collaboration on waste management and reviving natural water sources in the National Capital

“Let this MoU between the governments of Delhi and Seoul not merely be another piece of an official document. Let us try and convert it into a living document Air pollution is a major issue faced by Delhi, and our government is very serious in tackling this menace,” he said, after signing the MoU.

“Delhi faces an acute water crisis in summer months. The only river passing through Delhi - Yamuna, faces serious water pollution problems, which we are trying to fix.”

Kejriwal, who shares a personal equation with the mayor of Seoul metropolitan government Park Won-Soon, was accompanied by Urban Development Minister Satyendra Jain.

The upgraded Akash Weapon System is operationally critical equipment which will provide protection to vital assets. The DAC also accorded approval for progressing Design and Development of Individual Under Water Breathing Apparatus (IUWBA) for T 90 Tanks. Developed by DRDO Lab DEBEL, the IUWBA is used by the crew of Tanks as a safety gear and is required by the Tank crew for emergency escape when negotiating water obstacles while deep fording. The DAC also accorded approval for Design and Development of Test Equipment for Guided Weapons System of T 90 Tank. The equipment is being developed by DRDO and will give an indigenous solution to the Test Equipment used for checking the Guided Weapon System of Tank T 90. The equipment earlier procured from foreign OEMs, has been developed indigenously and is in pursuit of the Government's 'Make in India' initiative.