LIVE: 41 missing, rescue work on; Amarnath yatra to resume soon, says CRPF

Live news updates: Officials said 15,000 stranded Amarnath pilgrims were shifted to the lower base camp of Panjtarni and 25 injured people were rushed to hospitals

10:58 PM

Sri Lanka Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign on July 13

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign on July 13, according to a local media report.

10:56 PM

Zelensky suspends Ukraine's ambassador to India

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday sacked Ukraine's ambassadors to Germany, India, Czech Republic, Norway and Hungary, a media report said.

Reportedly, these envoys have been suspended for being in contact with Russia.

 

10:18 PM

Amarnath tragedy: Evacuated 64 survivors, brought back 7 bodies, said IAF

Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday said it has deployed 4 Mi-17V5 & 4 Cheetal helicopters for rescue & relief efforts at the Amarnath shrine. Air assets continue to be on standby at all major air bases in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh areas, it added.

 

Cheetal helicopters delivered 3.5 tonnes of relief material & evacuated 45 survivors. Mi-17V5 helicopters delivered 9.5 tonnes of relief material & evacuated 64 survivors. They also brought back 7 mortal remains.

9:37 PM

Protestors set ablaze the private residence of Sri Lankan PM

8:41 PM

Met department issues red alert to 8 districts in Telangana

8:31 PM

Welfare schemes will go if my govt falls, warns AP CM Jagan

Warning that all freebie schemes being implemented by his government would be stalled if the YSR Congress lost power in the 2024 general election, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday exhorted his party rank and file to alert the people on this.

Delivering the closing speech at the two-day plenary of YSRC here, the party chief alleged that the "yellow media" was already indicating that welfare schemes benefiting crores of people in the state would be stopped if his government fell.

8:02 PM

Govt moots norms of medical devices, e-pharmacies; penalties for mishaps during clinical trials in new bill

The government has proposed a new bill which for the first time seeks to regulate e-pharmacies and medical devices and provides for penalties including imprisonment for failing to pay compensation for injury or death during clinical trials for both drugs and medical devices.

Also, for the first time, regulations for conduct of clinical trials for new drugs and medical devices have been brought under the draft New Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, 2022 which seeks to replace the existing Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940.

7:38 PM

Delhi reports 544 new cases today

6:35 PM

Maharashtra reports 2,760 fresh Covid-19 cases today

Maharashtra reported 2,760 fresh Covid-19 cases & 05 deaths on Saturday, according to health ministry data.

Active caseload at 18,672.

6:11 PM

Jagan Mohan Reddy elected lifetime president of YSRCP

6:10 PM

Willing to resign as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka: Ranil Wickremesinghe

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has told the party leaders that he is willing to resign as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and make way for an all-party government to take over: PMO

5:19 PM

Amarnath tragedy: 41 missing as per J&K police

41 missing as per J&K police out of which some were rescued. Yatra may resume within a day or two, Kuldiep Singh, DG, CRPF told ANI

5:10 PM

Cong can even join hands with terrorists to be in power: BJP

The BJP on Saturday cited various past incidents to allege the Congress can join hands with even terrorists to be in power as it hit back at the opposition party for holding press conferences across the country to corner the government over the issue of terrorism.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra noted the reported remarks of the then Union minister Salman Khurshid that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was in tears on seeing the pictures of the Batla House encounter and the party's attack on the Gujarat government headed by then chief minister Narendra Modi over the police killing of suspected terrorist Ishrat Jahan.

4:58 PM

Chinese visa case: CBI conducts searches at Karti's Chennai residence

The CBI on Saturday conducted searches at the residence of Congress MP Karti Chidambaram in Chennai in connection with the Chinese visa case, officials said.

They said during searches on May 17 after filing of the FIR, a portion of Karti Chidambaram's home was sealed because keys of that portion were not available.

4:48 PM

ED arrests one Narender Kumar Gupta for laundering Rs 425 crore

Enforcement Directorate has arrested one Narender Kumar Gupta in a case of money laundering wherein around Rs 425 crore was remitted outside India using 19 dummy Indian entities. This is ED’s fourth arrest in this case.

4:17 PM

My govt will complete tenure, we will even win next election: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday exuded confidence about completing his tenure in office and even winning the next elections in alliance with the BJP.

Addressing a press conference here with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis by his side, he said a decision about the expansion of the Maharashtra council of ministers will be taken in Mumbai next week.

3:25 PM

Rescue operation underway at Amarnath cave

3:01 PM

Russia continues to ''raise true hell,'' says Ukraine governor

Russian forces are managing to raise true hell in Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland despite reports of them taking an operational pause, a regional governor said Saturday as the Ukrainian government urged people in Russian-occupied areas in the south to evacuate by all possible means.

 

Deadly Russian shelling was reported in Ukraine's east and south.

 

The governor of Luhansk, Serhyi Haidai, said Russia launched over 20 artillery, mortar and rocket strikes in the province overnight and its forces were pressing toward the border with neighboring Donetsk.

 

3:01 PM

Hundreds of Sri Lankan protesters break into President's official residence

Hundreds of Sri Lankan protesters demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday stormed into his official residence in the central Colombo's high-security Fort area after breaking the barricades, as people took to streets protesting against the government over the nation's worst economic crisis in recent memory.

 

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who was facing calls for resignation since March was using the President's House as his residence and office since protesters came to occupy the entrance to his office early April.

 

Insiders say the President was moved out of the house on Friday as the build up to Saturday's protest was gathering.

2:56 PM

Union Home Min sets up panel for delimitation of municipal wards in Delhi: MCD

The Union Home Ministry has set up a three-member commission for carrying out a fresh delimitation of the municipal wards in Delhi, according to a statement issued by the MCD on Saturday.

 

The exercise will pave the way for the civic polls in Delhi, which would be the first since the reunification of three corporations recently.

 

"Taking a step forward in the direction of holding municipal elections, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, by exercising its powers under sections 3, 3A and 5 of the DMC Act 1957, has constituted a delimitation commission to assist central government in delimitation of wards and carrying out other functions related to it," the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said in the statement.

 

2:50 PM

States to get incentives for successful auction, identification of mineral blocks

State governments will be incentivised for successful auction and identification of minerals blocks during the National Conclave on Mines and Minerals to be held in the national capital next week, an official statement said on Saturday.

 

The day-long conclave on July 12 will be inaugurated by Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi.

 

"As part of the afternoon session, the award function includes presenting new mine blocks to state governments and the Ministry of Coal and providing incentive to state governments for successful auction and identification of blocks," the mines ministry statement said.

 

2:46 PM

Droupadi Murmu's Sikkim visit postponed

NDA presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu's visit to Sikkim on Saturday to meet SKM and BJP lawmakers in the state was postponed in the wake of the one-day national mourning, as a mark of respect to former Japanese premier Shinzo Abe, a SKM leader said.

 

Murmu has been visiting various states to seek support from lawmakers for the July 18 presidential polls.

 

"Murmu's Sikkim visit stands postponed in view of the mourning being observed in India as a mark of respect to the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe," senior Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) leader Jacob Khaling Rai told reporters.

2:37 PM

Sri Lanka prime minister summons emergency party leaders meeting after street unrest

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister on Saturday summoned an emergency meeting of political party leaders after protesters stormed the president's house in the commercial capital Colombo amid growing anger over the government's handling of an economic crisis.

 

Ranil Wickremesinghe also requested the speaker to summon parliament, a statement from the prime minister's office said.

 

2:32 PM

Earthquake of 4.4 magnitude jolts Karnataka's Vijayapura district

An earthquake of 4.4 magnitude on the Richter scale struck Vijayapura district on Saturday morning, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) said.

 

The earthquake occurred at 06:22:14 AM, epicentred at "2.3 kms NW of Kannur GP, Vijayapura Taluk, Vijayapura district (Bordering Vijayapura and Maharashtra region)", it said in a statement.

2:21 PM

EV sector witnessing significant employment growth, says report

A significant employment growth and an average growth in employee numbers was witnessing a 108 per cent increase in the last two years in the electric vehicle space, a study by CIEL Human Resources services said on Saturday.

 

Engineering department has dominated the EV sector, followed by operation and sales, quality assurance, business development, information technology, human resources and marketing among others.

 

The survey 'Latest Employment Trends in EV sector 2022' was conducted among 15,200 employees over 52 companies by city-based CIEL HR services Ltd.

 

Bengaluru topped the list accounting for 62 per cent of electric vehicle talent, followed by New Delhi 12 per cent, 9 per cent Pune, Coimbatore 6 per cent and Chennai 3 per cent, the study said.

2:13 PM

Inflation may ease gradually in second half of fiscal, says RBI Governor Das

Exuding confidence that the price situation will gradually improve in the second half of the current fiscal, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Saturday said the central bank would continue to take monetary measures to anchor inflation with a view to achieving strong and sustainable growth.

 

Inflation is a measure of the trust and confidence that the public reposes in the economic institutions of the country, Das said while speaking at the inaugural Kautilya Economic Conclave.

 

2:12 PM

Millions of Muslims commemorate Eid al-Adha amid high prices

Millions of Muslims across the globe including in countries like Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt, Kenya and Yemen were celebrating Eid al-Adha on Saturday, one of the biggest holidays of the Islamic calendar.

Known as the Feast of Sacrifice, the revered observance coincides with the final rites of the annual hajj in Saudi Arabia.

It's a joyous occasion, for which food is a hallmark. Much of Asia, including Indonesia, India and Pakistan, will observe the holiday on Sunday.

2:00 PM

Shivpal Yadav declares support for NDA presidential nominee Murmu

Shivpal Yadav, who heads the PSP(L) and is currently an SP MLA, on Saturday said he has "decided" to vote for Droupadi Murmu, the National Democratic Alliance's candidate in the upcoming presidential elections.

"Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath jee had sought my vote (for Droupadi Murmu), and I have decided that I will vote for the NDA's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu," Yadav told reporters here on Saturday.

SP ally Om Prakash Rajbhar and Yadav (who heads the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party - Lohia) on Friday had attended a dinner hosted by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath in the honour of NDA's presidential candidate Murmu, a development showing chink in the opposition camp that is backing Yashwant Sinha for the top constitutional post.

1:46 PM

Army engages high-tech equipment to rescue Amarnath pilgrims

In one of the major peacetime rescue operations, the Indian Army has deployed men and machinery including latest equipment to rescue the Amarnath pilgrims who were injured in the flash flood triggered by heavy rain, an Army official said here on Saturday.

The rescue team rushed to the site as soon as they got the information about casualties in the cloudburst that occurred on Friday evening, the official said.

He said an infantry battalion led by a Colonel along with Quick Reaction Teams, an additional company of personnel from the Rashtriya Rifles Sector and a team from special forces reached the holy cave along with specialized rescue equipment to undertake the operation.

1:33 PM

Green fuel will end need for petrol in India after five years: Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has expressed confidence that green fuel will end the need for the use of petrol in vehicles in the country after five years.

He made the statement in Maharashtra's Akola on Thursday, where he was conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Science by Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth.

During his speech, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways made a strong pitch for the use of green hydrogen, ethonal and other green fuels.