Latest LIVE: Delhi HC directs Vivo to furnish Rs 950-cr bank guarantee

Live news updates: From the crisis in Sri Lanka to coronavirus cases, presidential elections, and more, catch all the latest developments from across the globe here

3:00 PM

Passenger vehicle dispatches rise 19% in Jun as chip supply improves

Passenger vehicle wholesales in India rose by 19 per cent year-on-year in June on the back of improvement in semiconductor supplies, according to industry body SIAM.

 

As per the latest data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), passenger vehicle (PV) dispatches to dealers stood at 2,75,788 units last month against 2,31,633 units in June 2021.

 

Similarly, total two-wheeler wholesales increased to 13,08,764 units last month compared to 10,60,565 units in the year-ago period.

2:59 PM

Free Covid precaution doses for 18-59 age group from July 15 at govt centres: Officials

People in the 18-59 age group will get free precaution doses of the Covid vaccine at government vaccination centres under a 75-day special drive likely to begin from July 15, official sources said on Wednesday.

 

The drive, aimed at boosting the uptake of Covid precaution doses, will be held as part of the government's Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India's Independence, they said.

2:56 PM

Singapore an "attractive target" for terror attack; people urged to be on high alert

The Singapore government on Wednesday urged its citizens to remain on high alert as the city-state is viewed as an "attractive target" for attack by both foreign terrorist groups and self-radicalised lone actors.

 

Releasing its annual terrorism threat assessment report, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said foreign terrorist fighters may make their way to new conflict zones and hotspots after the pandemic.

 

2:52 PM

Presidential election: Ballot box, other poll material reach Delhi Assembly

The ballot box and other important poll material for the upcoming presidential election was on Wednesday brought to the premises of the Delhi Assembly and stored in a strong room, officials said.

 

The election for the next President of India will be held on July 18 in which 4,809 electors comprising MPs and MLAs will vote to elect incumbent Ram Nath Kovind's successor, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had said in June.

2:43 PM

Bumrah back to No 1 in ICC ODI Player Rankings

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has regained the top spot in the ICC men's ODI Player Rankings after fashioning India's 10-wicket win over England with a career-best haul of six for 19 in the first game at The Oval.

 

Bumrah had lost the top spot to New Zealand's Trent Boult in February 2020 after being No. 1 for most of the preceding two years. He has been at the top for a total of 730 days, more than any other Indian and the ninth-most in history.

2:40 PM

PM Modi calls on President Ram Nath Kovind

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called on President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

 

The details of the meeting were not immediately known.

 

"Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, called on President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan," the President's secretariat tweeted.

 

2:30 PM

'Don't fall ill': Sri Lanka doctors warn of drug shortage

Don't fall ill or get into accidents: That's the advice doctors in Sri Lanka are giving patients as the country's economic crisis leaves its health care system short of drugs and other vital supplies.

The South Asian island nation lacks the money to pay for basic imports like fuel and food, and medicine is also running out. Such troubles threaten to undo its huge gains in public health in recent decades.

Some doctors have turned to social media to try to get donations of supplies or the funds to buy them. They're also urging Sri Lankans living overseas to help. So far there's no sign of an end to the crisis that has thrust the country into an economic and political meltdown.

2:11 PM

DRI detects Rs 4,389 cr customs duty evasion by Oppo India

Revenue intelligence officers have detected Rs 4,389 crore duty evasion by Chinese smartphone maker Oppo by misdeclaration of imports, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Chinese company deals in mobile brands -- Oppo, OnePlus and Realme.

During an investigation of Oppo Mobiles India Private Limited, a subsidiary of Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corporation Ltd - China (Oppo China), the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has detected Customs duty evasion of around Rs 4,389 crore.

2:02 PM

Sri Lankan PM appointed Acting President: Speaker

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Acting President in accordance with the Article 37.1 of the Constitution, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardhane said on Wednesday.

He added in a special statement that the President has informed him that the Prime Minister was appointed as the Acting President as he was away from the country, the Daily Mirror reported.

President Rajapaksa has arrived in the Maldives earlier on Wednesday morning after having fled Sri Lanka and will be making his way to a final destination. Where that is however, is still unclear.

1:52 PM

India accuses China's Oppo of $551 million tax evasion

An investigation by India's Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has found that Chinese smartphone maker Oppo evaded customs duty worth 43.9 billion Indian rupees ($551 million), a government statement said on Wednesday.

Reuters could not immediately reach Oppo for a comment.
 

1:34 PM

Fresh batch of 6,400 pilgrims leave Jammu camp for Amarnath Yatra

Amid tight security, the 14th batch of 6,400 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims on Wednesday here left for twin base camps of the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.

The yatra, which was suspended from Jammu due to bad weather on Sunday, resumed on Monday. A flash flood triggered by a cloudburst near the cave shrine on Friday afternoon has led to the death of at least 16 people. Around 40 are still missing.

A total of 6,415 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas here in a convoy of 258 vehicles amid heavy security of CRPF, the officials said.

1:00 PM

Indian tech sector hired 200K Americans, helped US generate $103 bn in 2021

The Indian tech industry generated $103 billion in revenue and directly employed 207,000 people in the US last year, with an average wage of $106,360 -- witnessing a 22 per cent employment growth since 2017, a new Nasscom report showed on Wednesday.

The direct impact of the Indian tech industry has helped the US economy generate a total of $396 billion in sales to date, supporting 1.6 million jobs and contributing over $198 billion to the American economy -- larger than the combined economies of 20 US states in 2021, according to report by Nassom and IHS Markit (now part of S&P global).

"The Indian tech sector works with more than 75 per cent of the fortune 500 companies, most of them headquartered in the US and is therefore well equipped to understand and meet the critical skill challenges of the digital age," said Debjani Ghosh, President, Nasscom.

The Indian technology companies have contributed over $1.1 billion and developed partnerships with nearly 180 universities, colleges, community colleges, and others to strengthen and diversify the STEM pipeline in the US.

12:59 PM

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence searched Oppo India; unearths customs duty evasion of Rs 4,389 cr

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) searched mobile company Oppo India & unearths customs duty evasion of Rs 4389 Cr by Oppo India: DRI

 

12:57 PM

Indian court lifts ban on Vivo bank accounts in money laundering case

 An Indian court on Wednesday lifted a freeze on smartphone maker Vivo's bank accounts imposed by the country's financial crime agency and ordering the Chinese company to provide a bank guarantee of $119 million, a lawyer for the company told Reuters.

In a filing to the Delhi High Court in the capital, Vivo India had said it would not be able to pay statutory dues and salaries, listing 10 affected bank accounts and saying it needed to make monthly payments of 28.26 billion Indian rupees ($355 million).
 

 

12:46 PM

SC refuses to pass interim order staying demolitions across states

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to pass an interim direction staying demolitions across states, and said it cannot pass an omnibus order preventing authorities from taking action.

 

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and P S Narasimha asked the parties to complete pleadings in the matter, and said it will hear the plea filed by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind against demolitions on August 10 "Rule of law has to be followed, there is no dispute on that. But can we pass an omnibus order? If we pass such an omnibus order, will we not prevent the authorities from taking action against the violators," the bench said.

 

12:45 PM

SC to consider hearing plea against tenure extension of ED director

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to consider listing of a plea challenging the Centre's decision to grant one year extension to Sanjay Kumar Mishra as director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

 

A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli took note of the submission of a lawyer that he has filed the plea against the extension of tenure of the ED director by the Centre through an ordinance.

 

12:41 PM

Delhi HC directs Vivo to furnish bank guarantee worth Rs 950 crore

The Delhi HC directed the Chinese company, Vivo to furnish a bank guarantee worth Rs 950 cr. Vivo is meanwhile permitted to operate its bank accounts to the extent that a balance of Rs 250 crore is maintained in its accounts at all times.

12:21 PM

SC hearing plea on house demolition in UP

Supreme Court begins hearing a plea filed by Jamiat-Ulama-I-Hind seeking directions to the Uttar Pradesh authorities to ensure that no further demolitions of properties are carried out in the State without following due process.

 

12:08 PM

Sri Lanka declares state of emergency after Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees

Sri Lanka on Wednesday declared a state of emergency after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on a military jet in the face of a public revolt against his government for mishandling the country's economy.

 

The Prime Minister's office informed the media organisations that the state of emergency in the country and a curfew in the Western province had been imposed.

 

Meanwhile, protesters marched to the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office, urging him to resign after the news came in that President Rajapaksa had left for the Maldives.

12:07 PM

SC to hear next week pleas against Karnataka HC order refusing to lift ban on hijab

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear next week a batch of pleas challenging the Karnataka High Court verdict refusing to lift the ban on hijab in educational institutions of the state.

A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli took note of the submissions of lawyer Prashant Bhushan that the matters were filed long back but were yet to be listed for hearing.

The girls are losing out on studies, Bhushan said.

11:53 AM

Inflation in India to be about 5% by March 23

The State Bank of India (SBI) expects the inflation in India to be about five per cent by March 23.

In a research report, the SBI also said the 7.01 per cent consumer price index (CPI) inflation announced by the Indian government on Tuesday for June 2022 confirms the fact that the peak point has passed.

According to the SBI report, CPI inflation attributable to supply side factors started moving up after September'21 while demand led CPI remained more or less constant.

11:53 AM

Pak facing serious problems as forex reserves deplete; Chinese loans taken at high rates

Pakistan could face a serious problem as its foreign exchange reserves are depleting fast amid rising external debt servicing, state media reported.

The country's external debt servicing rose to $10.886 billion in the first three quarters of 2021-22 compared to $13.38 billion in the entire FY-21, Dawn reported.

It was just $1.653 billion in 1QFY22 against $3.51billion in the first quarter of 2020-21. However, the debt servicing jumped to $4.357 billion in 2QFY22 and further to $4.875 billion in 3QFY22.

The country has been facing a serious threat from its external front as the State Bank of Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves fell to single digits despite a $2.3 billion inflow from China late June, Dawn reported.

The increasing size of the external debt servicing in each quarter indicates the government has been borrowing dollars at higher commercial rates to meet its foreign debt repayment obligations.

11:51 AM

Protests near Maldives Prez's house urging to send Gotabaya Rajapaksa back to Sri Lanka

Maldivians and Sri Lankan expatriates are protesting near Maldives President Ibrahim Solih's house urging the authorities to send ousted Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa out from their country's soil, the Head of the Maldivian TV channel told Daily Mirror.

President Rajapaksa fled the country for the Maldives early on Wednesday morning, along with his wife and two security officers amid mass scale protests against him in Sri Lanka, Daily Mirror reported.

The Sri Lankan President arrived at the Velena International airport in the Maldives at 3.07 a.m. on Wednesday and the Maldives capital was under heavy security at that time, sources confirmed to Daily Mirror.

11:27 AM

ICMR releases guidelines for 54 common illnesses across 11 specialities for use by physicians

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has released a set of new standard treatment guidelines for 54 common conditions across 11 specialities for use by physicians at all levels of public health care.

 

The volume III of the 'Standard Treatment Workflows' seeks to address problems associated with irrational use of medicines, over and under diagnosis and poor referral practices, among others.

 

Dr Vinod K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, released the book ICMR Standard Treatment Workflows Volume III pertaining to 54 conditions under 11 specialities and also a mobile app on Tuesday, an ICMR statement said on Wednesday.

11:18 AM

SC on hijab row

SC agrees to hear next week pleas challenging Karnataka HC verdict refusing to lift ban on hijab in educational institutions

 

11:16 AM

IMD forecasts intense showers in many parts of Maha over next 3 to 4 hrs

The India Meteorological Department on Wednesday morning issued a nowcast warning for Maharashtra's Pune, Satara, Solapur, Sangli and Kolhapur districts, predicting moderate to intense rainfall at isolated places in next 3 to 4 hours.

 

A nowcast is a prediction made by analysis of data currently available.

 

The IMD has also issued a similar warning for Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Dhule, Nandurbar, Osmanabad, Aurangabad, Beed and Nashik districts.

 

"Moderate to intense rain spells also very likely to occur at isolated places in Thane, Palghar, Mumbai and Raigad during the next 3 to 4 hours," IMD's weather forecasting division head Anupam Kashyapi said.

10:07 AM

India logs 16,906 new coronavirus cases, 45 deaths in 24 hours

India logged 16,906 new coronavirus infections pushing the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 43,669,850, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The death toll climbed to 525,519 with 45 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active Covid cases have increased to 132,457. The active cases comprise 0.30 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.49 per cent, the ministry said.

An increase of 1,414 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

10:06 AM

Surging gas prices likely drove US inflation to 40-year high

US inflation likely reached a new 40-year high in June, driven up by a spike in gas costs, more expensive food and rent, and pricier cars and hotel rooms.

A government report Wednesday is expected to show that consumer prices soared 8.8% in June compared with a year earlier, according to data provide FactSet. That would be an increase from 8.6% in May and the biggest yearly rise since December 1981.

Inflation at that level would make it highly likely the Federal Reserve will implement another large interest rate increase at its next meeting in two weeks. Higher rates are intended to cool consumer and business spending and slow the economy and inflation.

9:54 AM

Thane records 169 new COVID-19 cases; active tally over 1,900

Maharashtra's Thane district has reported 169 new COVID-19 cases, raising its infection count to 7,31,747, a health official said on Wednesday.

With the addition of the new cases on Tuesday, the district currently has 1,920 active COVID-19 cases, he said.

9:53 AM

Day to express gratitude to all teachers: PM Modi greets people on Guru Purnima

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday greeted people on 'Guru Purnima' and described it as a day to express gratitude to all exemplary teachers who have inspired and mentored humankind.

Greetings on Guru Purnima. This is a day of expressing gratitude to all exemplary Gurus who have inspired us, mentored us and taught us so much about life. Our society attaches immense importance to learning and wisdom. May the blessings of our Gurus take India to newer heights," he tweeted.

Modi also extended his wishes on the occasion of 'Ashadha Purnima', a sacred day especially for Buddhists.