NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met with Ivanka Trump, daughter and informal adviser to US President Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in Hyderabad. Dressed in a vibrant green and gold ensemble, Ivanka held talks with Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj ahead of her meeting with PM Modi. Raveesh Kumar, official spokersperson of the foreign ministry, tweeted that both Ivanka and Swaraj had "a productive discussion on women entrepreneurship and empowerment."

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to India on a four-day visit in January to meet the country's top leadership, six months after his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi made a maiden visit to the Jewish state, informed sources said. Netanyahu would be received by Modi in Ahmedabad on his arrival on January 14, the sources said. He would be the second Israeli premier to visit India since diplomatic ties were established between the two sides in 1992. His visit would be happening almost 15 years after the first visit by then prime minister Ariel Sharon in 2003. Modi has in the past welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japan'a Prime Minister Shinzo Abe inhis home state. Netanyahu would then be holding most of his official meetings in New Delhi on January 15 and 16. "The detailed programme is being still worked out but it will include meetings with top leadership inIndia," informed sources here said. The Israeli leader would travel to Mumbai on January 17 where he would be visiting the Jewish Chabad House, a site of 2008 terrorist attack. He would head back to Israel on January 18. There could also be a possible stopover in Agra during the visit. "In the past year, I have visited all continents besides Antarctica," Netanyahu said at the opening of the Knesset's (Israeli parliament) winter session last month. "And in January, I will make a reciprocal visit to my dear good friend, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, whose population is a significant part of humanity," he added. Modi's standalone visit to Israel in July this year celebrated 25 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Indian prime minister skipped Palestine during his trip leading many analysts to say that New Delhi was changing its rules of engagement in the region. His visit, the first by an Indian prime minister to Israel, was termed by many as de-hyphenation of New Delhi's ties with the Palestinians. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was invited to New Delhi a few weeks before Modi's visit toIsrael, in what was his fifth visit to India in 12 years and the third state visit. Netanyahu had called Modi's "historic visit" a "very significant step" in strengthening bilateral relations that are on a "constant upswing". The Israeli leader has also grabbed every opportunity to emphasise on his "personal chemistry" with his Indian counterpart, including at the United Nations General Assembly in September where he shared the memories of Modi's three-day visit to Israel from July 4-6. "...We imagined the endless possibilities for Israel, India, for all humanity," he had said during his UNGA address.

NEW DELHI: As a toxic smog hung over Delhi for a third day and air quality worsened by the hour, the capital has declared a pollution emergency and banned the entry of trucks and construction activity; the odd-even scheme which restricts traffic will apply from Monday to Friday. There are growing calls for bigger government action to tackle what doctors have declared a public health crisis. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged Punjab and Haryana to stop their farmers from burning waste as they prep to sow the winter crop of wheat. He said the Chief Ministers of both states have yet to grant him the appointments he has sought. Here are the 10 latest developments in this big story: Residents are complaining of headaches, coughs and smarting eyes. All 6,000 schools in Delhi are closed till the end of the week. A Delhi government advisory has urged anyone with breathing difficulties to remain indoors and said everyone should avoid strenuous activity. The Delhi government has decided to reintroduce the "odd-even" scheme for Monday-Friday under which cars with licence plates ending in an odd number are allowed one day and even-numbered cars the next. Women drivers and two-wheelers are exempt; violators will be fined Rs. 2,000. Thousands of traffic policemen and volunteers will enforce the restrictions. PM 2.5 is particulate matter about 30 times finer than a human hair. The particles can be inhaled deep into the lungs, causing heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and respiratory diseases. Delhi registered levels of over 600 today - 12 times over the safe limit. Illegal crop burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana, vehicle exhaust emissions in a city with limited public transport, and swirling construction dust have caused the crisis, which arises every year. The Delhi High Court has ordered an emergency meeting within three days between the top bureaucrats of the central government and those of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. Representatives of agencies that handle pollution are also to attend. "I'd like to assure people that the central government shall do everything possible to bring about improvement in air quality in Delhi and the Nation Capital Region," said Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan as authorities faced criticism for failing to take steps to fight a problem that erupts every year. Late yesterday, the Delhi government announced a set of measures to try to clean up the air. Commercial trucks have been banned from the city unless they are transporting essential commodities, all construction has been stopped and car parking charges raised four times to force residents to use public transport. "The situation as it exists today is the worst that I have seen in my 35 years staying in the city of Delhi," said Arvind Kumar, a lung surgeon at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. "As a doctor, I have no problem saying that the situation today is a public health emergency. If you want to protect people, we should be ordering the evacuation of Delhi. Closing down all schools. Closing down all offices." Farmers in Haryana and Punjab, the two big agrarian states surrounding Delhi, regularly defy a ban to burn millions of tonnes of crop waste around October every year before sowing the winter crop of wheat. State authorities say it is hard to enforce the ban unless farmers, a powerful political constituency, are given funds to buy machinery to clear their land. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the capital, home to about 20 million people, a "gas chamber" as his government sought meetings with the adjoining states of Punjab and Haryana to address the issue. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said in a Twitter post: "Situation is serious but Punjab helpless as problem is widespread & state has no money to compensate farmers for stubble management."

Actor Gautam Rode, who is all set to sizzle in an upcoming film, ‘Aksar 2’, recently got engaged to television actress Pankhuri Awasthy in a secret ceremony. According to reports in Bombay Times, a source close to the couple told the publication, "They had a small roka ceremony attended by their families. Both Gautam and Pankhuri are introverts and they have always remained guarded about their personal lives. They have been together for almost two years now and decided to get engaged during Diwali, making it even more special for their loved ones."