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Irrespective of who becomes Sri Lanka's next president, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all political parties and the people of India should keep helping the island nation come out of its worst economic crisis, Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa said on Tuesday. Premadasa's appeal came hours after the government told an all-party meeting in New Delhi that India is naturally worried over the Sri Lankan crisis and ahead of the presidential election in Sri Lanka on Wednesday to pick a successor to ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Delhi on Tuesday reported rise in daily Covid cases in last 24 hours, to 585 against 378 reported on the previous day, while there were two fresh deaths, as per the government health bulletin. Meanwhile, the Covid positivity rate has declined to 4.35 per cent and the number of active cases stands at 2,040, out of which 1,355 are undergoing treatment in home isolation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with the Indian contingent bound for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 on Wednesday through video conferencing. The interaction by the Prime Minister is a part of his continuous endeavour to motivate athletes ahead of their participation in major sporting events.

3:04 PM

SC adjourns hearing on plea of BCCI to allow amendment of its constitution

The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned hearing on the plea of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) seeking to amend its constitution with regard to the tenure of its office bearers including President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah.

 

A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli deferred till Thursday the matter after senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the BCCI, sought adjournment.

 

The counsel for the Bihar Cricket Association said that office bearers are continuing in office after their terms have ended technically.

3:04 PM

UPSC recommends 4,119 candidates for govt jobs in 2021-22, lowest in 10 years: Govt data

UPSC recommended 4,119 candidates for different central government jobs during 2021-22, the lowest in 10 years, according to a Personnel Ministry data made public in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

 

"Every year, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts its examinations as per the programme of examinations (calendar) year notified by the Commission well in advance for a calendar year," Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply.

3:04 PM

Rajarshi Gupta takes over as Managing Director of ONGC Videsh

Rajarshi Gupta has taken over as Managing Director of ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas investment arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

 

He replaces Alok Gupta who superannuated last month.

 

"Rajarshi Gupta has more than 33 years of wide-ranging experience in supervisory, managerial and strategic planning capacities in domestic and international operations of ONGC and ONGC Videsh," the company said in a statement adding he took over on July 19.

3:03 PM

Pakistan finance chief blames politics as rupee drops to record

Pakistan Finance Minister Miftah Ismail blamed renewed political volatility as the nation’s currency slumped almost 7% this week

 

“In terms of the real economic fundamentals, we are fine but the political uncertainty screwed us up,” Ismail said in a phone interview on Wednesday. “Fundamentally the rupee is fine, there is not much pressure on rupee in the market and we should be okay, and I think that there may be some reversal.”

2:43 PM

Russia likely to restart gas exports from Nord Stream 1 on schedule: Russian sources

Russian gas flows via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline are likely to restart on time on Thursday after the completion of scheduled maintenance but at lower than its full capacity, two Russian sources familiar with the export plans told Reuters.

 

The pipeline, which accounts for more than a third of Russian natural gas exports to the European Union, was halted for ten days of annual maintenance on July 11.

2:30 PM

Netflix Rises After Million-Customer Loss Avoids Worst Scenario

After losing more than a million customers in the first half of 2022, Netflix Inc. has a message for investors: It could have been worse.

 

The leader in paid streaming TV lost 970,000 subscribers in the second quarter, according to a statement Tuesday. That was less than half what Wall Street feared, thanks in large part to a new season of “Stranger Things,” the service’s most popular English-language series.

 

“We’re talking about losing 1 million instead of 2 million -- our excitement is tempered by the less-bad results,” Chairman Reed Hastings said on an earnings call. “But looking forward, streaming is working everywhere. Everyone is pouring in.”

2:30 PM

Delhi HC yet to receive transfer petitions, lists pleas challenging Agnipath scheme on Aug 25

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said it will hear on August 25 a batch of petitions challenging the Centre's Agnipath scheme as it is yet to receive the files of pleas transferred to it by the Supreme Court.

 

A bench of Delhi High Court Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the apex court on July 19 transferred here all the pleas pending before it challenging the scheme for recruitment in the armed forces.

2:20 PM

Maharashtra politics: SC says pleas filed by Sena, rebel MLAs raise constitutional questions

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the petitions filed by the Shiv Sena and its rebel MLAs raise many constitutional questions relating to defection, merger and disqualification, which may require consideration by a larger bench.

 

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana directed the parties to formulate the issues that require examination by a larger bench by July 27.

 

12:45 PM

Sri Lankan lawmakers elect Ranil Wickremesinghe as new president

Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe was on Wednesday elected as Sri Lanka's new President by Parliament, following a high-voltage political drama which saw his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa fleeing the country and resigning after a popular uprising against his government for mismanaging the economy.

 

The 73-year-old six-time prime minister secured 134 votes in the 225-member House while his nearest rival and dissident ruling party leader Dullas Alahapperuma got 82. Leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured just three votes.

 

The new President will have a mandate to serve out the rest of Rajapaksa's term, which ends in November 2024.

 

11:34 AM

Sri Lankan lawmakers vote to elect new president in three-cornered contest

The Sri Lankan Parliament on Wednesday began voting to elect the successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a three-way contest, following a high-voltage political drama which saw the former president fleeing the country and resigning after a popular uprising against his government for mismanaging the economy.

 

The voting by secret ballot is taking place amidst tight security in the wake of the simmering tensions in the island nation triggered by the unprecedented economic and political crisis.

 

Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, dissident ruling party leader Dullas Alahapperuma and leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake were proposed by lawmakers on Tuesday as the three candidates for the presidential election.

11:18 AM

Opposition parties protest against GST hike, raise slogans against govt in Parliament premises

Opposition parties on Wednesday staged a protest in Parliament premises against inflation and the hike in the Goods and Services Tax on certain commodities of daily use.

 

Leaders of opposition parties including the Congress, NCP, DMK and Left raised slogans against the government demanding a roll back of the hike in GST rates on commodities like curd, bread and paneer.

 

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and others were present during the protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament premises.

9:46 AM

India logs 20,557 new cases

India logs 20,557 new cases, 2,603 deaths in 24 hours.

8:51 AM

Jammu-Srinagar National Highway closed for traffic due to landslides

The Jammu-Srinagar National highway has been closed for vehicular traffic due to landslides and shooting stones, officials said on Wednesday.

 

"Jammu -Srinagar NHW (NH-44) blocked at multiple locations due to Landslides/Mudslides/Shooting stones," Jammu and Kashmir Traffic police said.

 

Officials said restoration work of the highway is in progress and the Mughal road, SSG road were through for the vehicular movement.

8:50 AM

Chhattigarh Police arrest terror funding accused on run since 2013

The Chhattisgarh Police have arrested from Jharkhand a 41-year-old man allegedly involved in a terror funding case and absconding since 2013, an official said.

 

Shravan Kumar Mandal (41), a native of Bihar, was arrested by a joint team of the Chhattisgarh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Raipur police's Anti Crime and Cyber Unit and police from Deoghar district of Jharkhand, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prashant Agrawal said on Tuesday.

8:50 AM

151 new COVID-19 cases in Thane, 1 death

Maharashtra's Thane district has reported 151 new COVID-19 cases, taking its infection count to 7,32,799, a health official said on Wednesday. With the addition of the latest cases on Tuesday, the district currently has 1,132 active cases, he said. One death was also reported on Tuesday, raising the COVID-19 fatality toll in Thane to 11,922, he said. The recovery count in the district has gone up to 7,19,594, the official added.