Live news: 7 soldiers dead after vehicle falls in Shyok river in Ladakh

Live news updates: Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said Ukraine was not eager to talk to Russia's Vladimir Putin but that it has to face the reality that this will likely be necessary to end the war

4:50 PM

Army spokesperson explains soldiers death in Ladakh

"A party of 26 soldiers was moving from the Transit Camp in Partapur to a forward location in Sub Sector Hanif. At approximately 9 am, around 25 km from Thoise, the vehicle skidded off the road and fell in Shyok river (to a depth of approximately 50-60ft), resulting in injuries to all occupants," an army spokesperson said, according to NDTV.com.

 

4:36 PM

7 Army soldiers die in Ladakh bus crash

Seven Indian Army soldiers are dead after a vehicle carrying 26 people falls in Shyok river in Ladakh, said multiple news organisations on Friday.

4:11 PM

Monkeypox can be contained if we act now, says WHO

A World Health Organization senior official said on Friday that the priority needs to be containing monkeypox in non-endemic countries, saying that this can be achieved through quick action. "We think if we put the right measures in place now we can contain it easily," Sylvie Briand, WHO director for Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness said at a technical briefing to member states at the UN health agency's annual assembly, according to Reuters.

3:46 PM

CBI summons Rubaiya Sayeed in case related to her abduction in 1989

A CBI court in Jammu has issued summons to Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, to appear before it on July 15 in a case related to her abduction in 1989, PTI said government officials on Friday. This is the first time that Rubaiya Sayeed has been asked to appear in the case. She had been freed after five terrorists were released in exchange.

3:28 PM

Ukraine needs to face reality, says President Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday said Ukraine was not eager to talk to Russia's Vladimir Putin but that it has to face the reality that this will likely be necessary to end the war.

 

"There are things to discuss with the Russian leader. I'm not telling you that to me our people are eager to talk to him, but we have to face the realities of what we are living through," Zelenskiy said in an address to an Indonesian think tank.

 

"What do we want from this meeting... We want our lives back... We want to reclaim the life of a sovereign country within its own territory," he said, adding that Russia did not appear to be ready yet for serious peace talks.

3:17 PM

PM to hold roadshow in Shimla, address rally on May 31 to mark eighth anniversary of his govt: BJP leader

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a roadshow in Shimla and address a rally on May 31 to mark the eighth anniversary of his government, a Himachal Pradesh BJP leader said on Friday.

 

State BJP general secretary Trilok Jamwal said the prime minister’s roadshow will cover the half-a-kilometre distance from CTO to Rani Jhansi Park.

2:38 PM

Zelensky, Finnish PM discuss Ukraine's European integration, post-war recovery

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and visiting Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin discussed Kiev's European integration and post-war recovery.

At the talks in Kiev on Thursday, Zelensky thanked the Finnish government for providing financial, defense and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia, reports Xinhua news agency.

He also stressed the importance of visits of foreign high-ranking officials to the Ukrainian capital.

"These are very important direct signals of support, first of all for the Ukrainian people, our people, who see that they are not left alone with today's ordeals," Zelensky said.

 

2:30 PM

Sri Lanka allows private companies to import fuel: Minister

Sri Lankan government has allowed private companies to import fuel, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said on Friday, a move aimed at easing the burden on cash-strapped state-run fuel retailer Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC).

The severe depreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee against the US dollar, and the soaring global prices of crude following the ongoing conflict in Ukraine were some of the reasons why the state-owned entity has been struggling to import fuel.

Approval was given to all the Private Bunker Fuel Operators to import and provide diesel and fuel oil requirements of industries to function their generators and machinery, Wijesekera said in a tweet.

This will ease the burden on CPC and fuel stations providing in bulk. The meeting was held yesterday, he added.

2:28 PM

New Zealand to provide 2nd Covid booster for most vulnerable

People of New Zealand who are at high risk of getting very sick from a Covid-19 infection will soon be eligible to receive a second booster shot, a Minister said here on Friday.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Friday that a second booster dose may be beneficial for those most at risk of serious illness from the virus and with a gap of six months from their previous booster, reports Xinhua news agency.

The vast majority of these people become eligible from July, according to the Ministry of Health.

"A booster is important for our most vulnerable as we move into the winter peak," said a Ministry statement, adding that several hundred thousand people will be eligible, which includes the older population, residents of aged care facilities and disability care facilities aged 16 years and over, and severely immunocompromised people.

2:12 PM

RBI's balance sheet grows by 8.46% in FY22

The size of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) balance sheet increased by 8.46 per cent as on March 31, 2022, mainly reflecting its liquidity and foreign exchange operations during the entire fiscal year.

While income for the year increased by 20.14 per cent, expenditure increased by 280.13 per cent, according to the RBI's Annual Report for 2021-22 released on Friday.

The increase on the asset side was due to increase in foreign investments, domestic investments, gold, and loans and advances and on the liability side due to the increase in deposits and notes by it.

2:11 PM

Zelensky, Finnish PM discuss Ukraine's European integration, post-war recovery

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and visiting Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin discussed Kiev's European integration and post-war recovery.

At the talks in Kiev on Thursday, Zelensky thanked the Finnish government for providing financial, defense and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia, reports Xinhua news agency.

He also stressed the importance of visits of foreign high-ranking officials to the Ukrainian capital.

"These are very important direct signals of support, first of all for the Ukrainian people, our people, who see that they are not left alone with today's ordeals," Zelensky said.

2:10 PM

Aryan Khan gets clean chit in drugs-on-cruise case

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Friday gave a clean chit to Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, in the drugs-on-cruise case.

The NCB filed a charge sheet against 14 persons before a Mumbai court, which did not include Aryan Khan's name.

Aryan khan, Avin Shahu, Gopal ji Anand, Samir Saighan, Bhaskar Arora and Manav Singhal, are the six persons, who have not been chargesheeted due to lack of evidence.

2:03 PM

8 years ago we started implementing new mantras of good governance in India: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that eight years ago his government started implementing new mantras of good governance in India following the path of minimum government - maximum governance.

Prime Minister Modi was speaking after inaugurating India's biggest Drone Festival -- 'Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022' here. He also interacted with Kisan drone pilots, witnessed open-air drone demonstrations and interacted with startups in the drone exhibition centre.

The Prime Minister talked about his fascination and interest in the drone sector and said that he was deeply impressed by the drone exhibition and the spirit of the entrepreneurs and innovation in the sector. The Prime Minister also talked about his interaction with farmers and young engineers. "The energy and enthusiasm in the drone sector are visible and indicate India's strength and desire to leapfrog into a leading position. The sector shows great possibilities of a major sector for employment generation," he said.

1:37 PM

ED to conduct parallel probe to track money trail in WBSSC scam

The CBI has now roped in Enforcement Directorate (ED) to track the money trail in the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scam.

CBI sources told IANS that since the sleuths of ED, the investigative arm of the Union ministry of finance, have better expertise in tracking the money trail in any scam that involves financial offence, an official request was made by the CBI to ED for starting a parallel inquiry on money trail line.

Now, sources said, an official communique has come to CBI from ED with the latter accepting the proposal to start a parallel line of probe in this connection. It is learnt that the ED officials have sought details relating to the case from CBI like all the FIRs filed by the latter in this connection, statements of people recorded, bank accounts and asset details of the suspects and most importantly the report of the Calcutta High Court- appointed judicial committee's report in this connection.

1:36 PM

Imran booked for riots in Islamabad

The Islamabad Police on Friday registered a case against senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including Chairman Imran Khan, for the riots that took place in the capital during the 'Azadi March'.

Apart from Khan, cases have been registered against Asad Umar, Imran Ismail, Raja Khurram Nawaz, Ali Amin Gandapur and Ali Nawaz Awan, reports Geo News.

The police registered two separate cases at the Kohsar Police Station for "rioting and arson".

1:30 PM

Restoring Ukraine's grain exports and fuel supply chains will now be a herculean task

Even though Russia has committed to cooperating with the United Nations on unblocking Ukraine's Black Sea ports to facilitate export of over 20 million tonnes of grain lying unused in the conflict zone, there is no indication whatsoever of the current imbroglio being solved anytime soon.

As the world battles the food and energy crisis triggered by the Ukraine crisis, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko on Wednesday spoke about creation of some sort of a humanitarian corridor for ships carrying grains for export to leave Ukraine.

However, the restoration of the supply chains and transport and logistics systems are still a far cry from becoming a reality in the coming weeks with Moscow making it clear that the 'incessant calls' for the creation of new humanitarian coordination mechanisms with the involvement of a large number of participants to solve the problems of blocking the Black Sea ports of Ukraine are 'incomprehensible'.

 

1:13 PM

Mukesh Ambani set to benefit as Issa brothers, TDR mull quitting Boots race

A consortium backed by the billionaire Issa brothers is considering dropping out of the bidding for Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.’s international arm due to disagreements over price, people with knowledge of the matter said.

 

The Issas, who were bidding together with TDR Capital, balked at a request by Walgreens to increase their offer for the Boots drugstore chain and are now thinking about walking away, the people said. Shares of Walgreens pared earlier gains and closed up 1.4% Thursday in New York.

1:11 PM

High WPI may put pressure on retail inflation: RBI

Sounding a note of caution, the Reserve Bank said on Friday said there is a risk of high wholesale price inflation (WPI) putting pressure on the retail inflation, albeit with a lag.

In its annual report, the RBI said that the cost-push pressures from high industrial raw material prices, transportation costs and global logistics, and supply chain bottlenecks continue to impinge on core inflation.

"The substantial wedge between wholesale and retail price inflation amidst a sharp rise in manufactured products' inflation poses the risk of a possible passthrough of input cost pressures to retail inflation with a lag, although slack in the economy is muting the pass-through," the central bank noted.

12:46 PM

Attempt to evade accountability, transparency: BJP hits out at Mamata govt

Hitting out at the West Bengal government's decision to have the Chief Minister as the Chancellor of all state universities instead of the Governor, the BJP on Friday said that Mamata Banerjee's decision is an attempt to evade accountability and transparency.

The BJP also alleged that the move was intended to distract from the SSC scam and cover up gross irregularities in the Universities.

Co-incharge West Bengal BJP Amit Malviya tweeted, "Mamata Banerjee's decision to replace the Governor as Chancellor of state Universities with the CM is an attempt to evade accountability and transparency. The move is intended to distract from the SSC scam and cover up gross irregularities in the Universities. CM is paranoid."

12:45 PM

Structural reforms essential for sustained, balanced, inclusive growth: RBI

Making a strong case for structural reforms, the Reserve Bank on Friday said they are essential for sustained, balanced and inclusive growth, and also to deal with the after-effects of the pandemic.

In its annual report, the Reserve Bank of India also stressed that the future path of growth would be conditioned by addressing supply-side bottlenecks, calibrating monetary policy to bring down inflation and boosting capital spending.

"Undertaking structural reforms to improve India's medium-term growth potential holds the key to secure sustained, balanced and inclusive growth, especially by helping workers adapt to the after-effects of the pandemic by reskilling and enabling them to adopt new technologies for raising productivity," it said in the chapter on 'Assessment and Prospects'.

12:20 PM

ED summons former JK CM Farooq Abdullah in money laundering case

National Conference (NC) president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has been summoned by the ED for questioning in a money laundering case in Delhi on May 31, official sources said on Friday.

The questioning is reported to be in connection with a case of alleged financial irregularities in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) that is being probed by the federal agency.

The summon has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for appearance at its headquarters here on May 31.

11:55 AM

Poor suffered due to indifference towards tech use in governance before 2014: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said there was an environment of "indifference" towards the use of technology in governance before 2014 due to which the poor and the middle class suffered the most.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating India's biggest drone festival in Delhi, he said the enthusiasm being seen in India about drone technology is amazing and indicates possibilities of an emerging sector of employment generation.

He said eight years ago "we started implementing new mantras of good governance". "Walking on the path of minimum government and maximum governance, priority was given to ease of living and ease of doing business," Modi said.

11:54 AM

Sun Pharma acquires Uractiv portfolio from Fiterman Pharma in Romania

Drug major Sun Pharma on Friday said its subsidiary has acquired the Uractiv portfolio from Fiterman Pharma in Romania.

The company's unit - SC Terapia SA, Romania - has acquired the Uractiv portfolio, which comprises food supplements, including minerals, vitamins and adjuvants; cosmetics and medical devices used for maintaining urinary tract health.

The Mumbai-based drugmaker, however, did not disclose the financial details of the deal.

Uractiv is the leading brand in its category in Romania, trusted by consumers for more than 10 years, Sun Pharma said in a statement.

11:46 AM

Fire at 2 hospitals in Delhi, no casualty reported

Fire incidents were reported at Safdarjung Hospital in south Delhi and at Makkar Multispeciality Hospital in the eastern parts of the city on Friday morning and there was no casualty, officials said.

Four fire tenders were rushed to Makkar Multispeciality Hospital in east Delhi's Laxmi Nagar after a fire on the terrace of the facility was reported at 8.10 am, they said.

The blaze has been brought under control.

At Safdarjung Hospital, a fire was reported at 8.45 am. The stabiliser of an elevator had caught fire on the second floor of the building, the fire department said.

Seven to eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the flames were brought under control, the officials said.

11:45 AM

Gyanvapi dispute: Petitioner says plea based on 'British map'

Jitendra Singh Vishen, head of the Vishwa Vaidik Sanatan Sangh (VVSS), which is among the petitioners in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex case, has said their petition is based on a "British-era map", which also formed the basis of a court case filed in 1936 by three Muslims who had demanded that the land be handed over to the community.

Visen told reporters, "If you inspect the premises today, you can find that 90 per cent of the structures are according to the map. Moreover, in the 'shastras', Lord Ganesha is on the northern side of the Adi Vishweshwar Temple, while Shringar Gauri is on the western side and the southern side has Kartikeya. Many parts in the books may be correct but some questions may remain," he added.

Advocate Anupam Dwivedi, one of the lawyers representing the petitioners, however, said the purpose of the court-ordered survey was to find out the exact location of the deities and admitted that only an examination could determine the correct location.

11:19 AM

Global recession can stay for up to 18 months: Elon Musk

Breaking his silence over the current global meltdown, Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday said the recession the world is now experiencing owing to multiple macro-economic factors could last up to 18 months.

 

"Based on past experience, about 12 to 18 months," Musk replied to a follower who asked him about how long he thinks this recession will last.

 

"Companies that are inherently negative cash flow (i.e. value destroyers) need to die, so that they stop consuming resources," he added.

 

World Bank chief David Malpass warned this week that Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine could cause a global recession as the price of food, energy and fertiliser jump.

11:01 AM

Traders, industry leaders slam Pak government for fuel prices hike

Trade and industry leaders of Pakistan have slammed the Shehbaz Sharif government for increasing the petrol and diesel prices by PKR 30 per litre causing a surge in the cost of production in the country.

 

Zubair Motiwalla, from the Chairman Businessmen Group of Pakistan(BMG), has anticipated a surge in production cost by 5-7 per cent due to the increase in petroleum price, reported Dawn newspaper.

 

He added that the rise in petroleum rates will heavily impact the retail prices of goods, making the lives of the common man more miserable owing to the rising cost of living.

 

"The jump of Rs 30 per litre in petrol and diesel will be difficult for the people and the industry to absorb," Dawn newspaper quoted Motiwalla saying.

10:52 AM

Fire breaks out at Delhi's Safdarjung hospital

A massive fire broke out in Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on Friday.

 

According to the Fire department, the inverter had caught the fire which has been doused by the officials.

 

Upon receiving the information about the blaze, fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

 

Meanwhile, another incident of fire break out was reported today in a hospital near East Guru Angad Nagar.

 

As per the fire department, five fire tenders rushed to the spot immediately and brought the fire under control.

 

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

 

However, no casualties have been reported in either case, more details are awaited.

 

10:51 AM

PM Modi pays tribute to former PM Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid tributes to the country's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary.

 

In a tweet today, the Prime Minister wrote, "Tributes to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Ji on his death anniversary."

 

The official Twitter handle of the Congress party also paid tributes to India's first Prime Minister, on his death anniversary.

 

"A brave freedom fighter, the architect of modern India, a statesman, a visionary, a patriot, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was a true son of Bharat Mata. A billion salutes and billion tributes to our first Prime Minister, on his death anniversary," tweeted the Congress party today.

10:46 AM

Karti Chidamabaram appears before CBI for second day in visa bribery case

Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram appeared before the CBI for the second day on Friday to answer queries related to allegations of bribe in issuance of visas to 263 Chinese workers in 2011 when his father P Chidambaram was the home minister, officials said.

 

The CBI has booked Karti and others in an FIR related to allegations of Rs 50 lakh being paid as bribe to Karti and his close associate S Bhaskararaman by a top executive of Vedanta group company Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd. (TSPL), which was setting a power plant in Punjab for re-issuance of project visa to 263 Chinese workers employed there, the CBI FIR said.

 

The agency has already arrested Bhaskararaman in connection with the case.