Live: SC transfers Gyanvapi Mosque case to district judge in Uttar Pradesh

Live news updates: From Pegasus snooping case to BJP meeting in Jaipur, catch all the live updates here

6:01 PM

Pegasus: SC extends time for submitting probe report on use of Israeli spyware

 

The Supreme Court Friday extended the time for submitting the report by the apex court-appointed technical and supervisory committees to look into the Pegasus row, saying 29 infected mobile phones are being examined for the spyware and the process should be over in four weeks.

 

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said the technical committee has been examining mobiles for the spyware and has also recorded statements of persons including some journalists and activists.

 

Standard operating procedure for testing the 'infected devices' will be finalised too, it said, adding the probe by the technical committee may be over by the May end and then the supervisory judge would be making a report for the perusal of the bench.

5:34 PM

Hyderabad encounter: Killing of 4 suspects in veterinarian rape and murder case 'deliberate', says SC Panel

A three-member inquiry commission on the encounter killings of four suspects in a case of gang-rape and murder of a veterinarian (named changed as Disha) here in December 2019 revealed that the firing by the police personnel was deliberate.

 

The Commission headed by apex court judge Justice (since retired) V S Sirpurkar also revealed that they opined that three of the deceased were minor at the time of death.

 

The four suspects -- Mohammed Arif, Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu, Jolu Shiva and Jollu Naveen -- were arrested in connection with the gang-rape and murder of veterinary lady doctor on November 29, 2019.

 

The Commission in its 387-page report opined that there are a lot of discrepancies in the police version with regards to the two of the deceased throwing mud and soil at police, stanching weapons from police and firing indiscriminately.

 

The four suspects were killed in an alleged encounter by police on December 6 at Chattanpally near here -- the same highway-- where the charred body of the 25-year old veterinarian was found.

5:28 PM

ED attaches over Rs 187-cr assets in money laundering case against PACL

The Enforcement Directorate Friday said assets worth more than Rs 187 crore have been attached under the anti-money laundering law in connection with a probe against a company called PACL which is alleged to have duped investors by promising them plots in various parts of the country.

 

PACL India Limited (PACL), the Enforcement Directorate said, collected money from the public under different schemes for allotting plots in various parts of the country or giving an option to take back their expected tentative value of land in lieu of the allotted plot under the scheme on maturity.

4:58 PM

SC transfers Gyanvapi civil suit to Varanasi district judge, says experienced officer needed

The Supreme Court Friday transferred the civil suit filed by Hindu devotees on Gyanvapi mosque from civil judge (senior division) to district judge, Varanasi saying looking at the complexities and sensitivity of the issue, it is better for a senior judicial officer to handle the case.

 

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and PS Narasimha said that it is not casting any aspersion on the civil judge (senior division) who was earlier dealing with the suit.

 

The top court directed the district judge to first decide the application under Order 7 Rule 11 of CPC (on maintainability) filed by the Mosque committee saying the civil suit is barred by a law of Parliament be decided upon the transfer of papers from the civil judge (senior division).

 

4:24 PM

Sidhu reaches court in Patiala to surrender after SC sentencing in 1988 road rage case

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu reached a court here Friday afternoon to surrender a day after he was sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court in a 1988 road-rage case.

 

Some party leaders including Navtej Singh Cheema accompanied him from his home to the district court, located close to the former Punjab Congress president's residence.

4:16 PM

RBI to pay Rs 30,307 crore dividend to govt for FY21-22

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday said its board has approved a dividend payment of Rs 30,307 crore to the government for the financial ended March 2022.

 

The board approved the transfer of Rs 30,307 crore as surplus to the central government for the accounting year 2021-22 while deciding to maintain the Contingency Risk Buffer at 5.50 per cent, RBI said in a statement.

 

The decision on the dividend payment was made in the 596th meeting of the Central Board of Directors of RBI, headed by Governor Shaktikanta Das, held on Friday.

 

4:09 PM

Selective leaks must stop, says Supreme Court in Gyanvapi Mosque case

3:48 PM

G7 countries eye $18 bn for Ukraine defence

Germany's finance minister says the Group of Seven leading economies are set to agree on more than USD 18 billion in aid for Ukrainian defence efforts.

 

Finance Minister Christian Lindner said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Friday that Ukrainians resisting Russia's invasion are not only defending themselves, they are defending our values.

 

A representative from the US Treasury Department declined to confirm the amount set to be allocated at a meeting of G-7 finance ministers in Germany, and a spokesman from the German finance ministry declined to comment to The Associated Press.

3:39 PM

Russia taking 'counter measures' as Finland, Sweden seek to join NATO

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Finland and Sweden joining NATO has led to an increase in military threats near the border and that Moscow is taking "adequate countermeasures", Interfax news agency reported on Friday.

 

RIA news agency quoted Shoigu as saying Russia would respond by forming 12 new units in its western military district.

 

Finland and Sweden formally applied to join the Western defence alliance NATO on Wednesday.

3:21 PM

Amit Shah on two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh from from May 21

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will undertake a two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh starting Saturday during which he will inaugurate and lay foundation stone of several development projects and interact with security forces deployed in forward areas along the Sino-Indian border, officials said.

 

During his visit, the home minister will also interact with the civil society.

 

This will be Shah's second visit to Arunachal Pradesh as the Union Home minister.

 

He had last visited Arunachal Pradesh in 2020 to attend the 34th statehood day celebrations.

2:47 PM

Karnataka mining: SC permits firms to export excavated iron ores

The Supreme Court on Friday permitted mining firms to export their excavated iron ore from mines in districts of Ballari, Chitradurga, and Tumakuru in Karnataka.

A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli took note of the stand of the Central government and lifted the curb on export of iron ore and asked the firms to observe the conditions imposed by the authorities.

2:21 PM

Monkeypox spreads to more European countries, Australia, Canada

Italy, Sweden, Australia and Canada have joined a slew of countries with confirmed cases of monkeypox, signalling a global outbreak.

Health officials in Australia have confirmed a case in Victoria and another likely case in New South Wales (NSW).

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) had also confirmed two cases of monkeypox in Quebec. Health authorities are investigating about 17 people for potential cases of the virus.

According to the Swedish Public Health Agency, a person in the Stockholm region has been confirmed infected with smallpox.

 

2:05 PM

12 killed in Severodonetsk as Russian troops attack Ukrainian cities

Russian forces attacked the cities of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk in Ukraine's eastern region of Luhansk, the region's governor said Friday.

Serhiy Haidai said in a Telegram messaging app post on Friday that 12 people were killed in Severodonetsk as a result of the assault, and more than 60 houses were destroyed across the region.

 

1:41 PM

Delhi HC issues notice to CBI on Ramkrishna's bail plea in NSE case

The Delhi High Court sought the response of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the bail application of National Stock Exchange's (NSE) former chief Chitra Ramkrishna, who was arrested in connection with the NSE co-location scam case.

Seeking the response of the central probe agency, Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain posted the matter for the next hearing on May 31.

1:15 PM

9 dead in fire due to tanker-truck collision in Maharashtra's Chandrapur

Nine persons were charred to death in a fire that broke out following a collision between a diesel-laden tanker and a truck carrying wood on the outskirts of Chandrapur city of Maharashtra, a police official said

12:44 PM

SC asks probe panel to submit report on Pegasus within 4 weeks

The Supreme Court extends the time for submitting the report by the apex court-appointed technical and supervisory committees to look into the Pegasus row, saying 29 infected mobile phones are being examined for the spyware and the process should be over in four weeks. Read more

 

11:20 AM

NDA govt's 8 yrs dedicated to balanced development, social justice: PM Modi

Eight years of the BJP-led NDA dispensation have been dedicated to the country's balanced development, social justice and social security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday while asserting that people's faith in the government's delivery mechanism has been restored post-2014.

 

Addressing the BJP's national office bearers' meeting in Jaipur via video conferencing, Modi asked the party leaders and workers to launch a campaign to ensure that no poor, eligible beneficiary is left out of the government's welfare measures.

 

"This month, the NDA government will complete eight years. These eight years have been of resolutions and accomplishments. These eight years have been committed to service, good governance and welfare of the poor," he said.

 

Modi said that eight years have been of fulfilment of the expectations of small farmers, labourers and the middle class.

 

11:20 AM

We have seen that attempts are being made to spark controversies on the basis of languages: PM Modi

In past few days, we have seen that attempts are being made to spark controversies on the basis of languages. BJP sees a reflection of Indian culture in every regional language & considers them worth worshipping. We have given importance to every regional language in NEP: PM Modi

 

11:20 AM

Morrison first recent Australian leader to survive 3 years

In at least one sense, Scott Morrison has become the most successful Australian prime minister in years just by standing for reelection on Saturday.

 

He is the first to survive in office from one election to the next since 2007. That year, the government of Australia's second-longest-serving Prime Minister John Howard was voted out after a reign of almost 12 years.

 

Between Howard and Morrison, there have been four prime ministers including Kevin Rudd who served twice during an extraordinary period of political instability in Australia.

 

Rudd's second stint ended when voters ousted his centre-left Australian Labor Party government in the 2013 election.

 

The other three prime ministers were toppled by their own parties, which panicked amid poor opinion polling. So too was Rudd during his first stint that set the revolving door to the prime minister's office spinning.

11:18 AM

Raj Thackeray puts off his June 5 Ayodhya visit

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday announced that his visit to Ayodhya scheduled on June 5 has been put off.

Taking to Twitter, Thackeray said his tour to the Uttar Pradesh city has been put off for the time being and that he would speak about it during his rally in Pune on May 22 morning.

Thackeray''s tweet came amid reports that he is unwell.

 

11:11 AM

Indian police charge 30 anti-Vedanta protesters over deadly 2018 demonstration

Indian federal police have charged 30 people with rioting and other offences after an environmental protest at Vedanta Ltd's copper mine in 2018 turned deadly, with police shooting dead 12 protesters.

The incident, the deadliest environmental protest in India in a decade, was condemned by a working group of United Nations' human rights experts for the "excessive and disproportionate use of lethal force by police."

Six of the protesters who were killed were shot from behind.

No policeman or government official who oversaw the firing was charged, the chargesheet reviewed by Reuters showed. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said police had "little choice other than resorting to firing," as protesters outnumbered police.

11:10 AM

9 new ministers sworn in amid Sri Lanka crisis

Debt-ridden Sri Lanka appointed 9 new Cabinet ministers on Friday in an effort to ensure stability until a full Cabinet is formed in the island nation engulfed in the worst economic crisis since its independence.

Former minister Nimal Siripala de Silva representing Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP), independent MPs Susil Premajayantha, Wijayadasa Rajapaksha, Tiran Alles were among the new nine ministers sworn-in on Friday by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Four ministers have already been sworn-in last week.

The cabinet will be limited to 25 members, including the President and the Prime Minister, according to media reports.

10:37 AM

Andhra Pradesh's pavilion at Davos to highlight investment opportunities

Andhra Pradesh's pavilion at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting at Davos will highlight the investment opportunities. The pavilion with the slogan 'People - Progress - Possibilities' will reiterate the state's commitment for decarbonised economy and would focus on investment opportunities. A high-level delegation, led by Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will be participating in the meeting scheduled from May 22-26.

9:46 AM

RJD workers protest against ongoing CBI raids at multiple locations of party chief Lalu Yadav

9:17 AM

Summary of MoHFW data (May 20)

Active cases: 15,044 (Net increase: -375)

Deaths: 524,323 (Net increase: 20)

Cured: 42,592,455 (Net increase: 2,614)

Total cases: 43,131,822 (Net increase: 2,259)

Total vaccination: 1,919,632,518 (Increase over previous day: 1,512,766)

9:14 AM

Lalu, daughter Misa raided by CBI in 'land for job' scam

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday was conducting raids at 16 different locations in Bihar and Delhi linked to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad and his daughter, Misa Bharti, in connection with a land for job scam. The scam involved taking land from unemployed youths on the pretext of providing them government jobs.

 

A CBI source said that a fresh case was recently lodged against Lalu and others for accepting bribes from unemployed youths and cheating them on the pretext of providing them jobs in the government sector.

7:48 AM

South Korea reports 25,125 new Covid-19 cases

South Korea reported 25,125 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Thursday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 17,914,957, the health authorities said Friday. The daily caseload was down from 28,130 in the previous day and lower than 32,441 tallied a week ago, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The health authorities believed that the daily caseload has been on the decline following the Omicron variant-driven resurgence, which may have peaked in the middle of March.

7:14 AM

Russian Foreign Minister participates in BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov participated in the BRICS Foreign Ministers on Thursday through video conferencing, Embassy said in a press release.

China's President Xi Jinping opened the event with a welcoming address. In the meeting Chinese President noted that the relevance of the efforts of the BRICS countries and the entire international community is to support genuine multilateralism.

"During the meeting, a substantive exchange of views was held on topical issues on the international agenda. The Ministers discussed problems of strengthening collective principles in global affairs, regional conflicts, combatting new challenges and threats as well as interaction of the five states on multilateral platforms. Close attention was paid to the current state and prospects of the five-sided cooperation," according to the press release.

7:13 AM

US accuses Russia of weaponizing food in Ukraine war

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia on Thursday of weaponizing food and holding grain for millions of people around the world hostage to help accomplish what its invasion of Ukraine has not -- "to break the spirit of the Ukrainian people."

He told a UN Security Council meeting called by the United States that the war has halted maritime trade in large areas of the Black Sea and made the region unsafe for navigation, trapping Ukrainian agricultural exports and jeopardizing global food supplies.

Blinken said the meeting, which he chaired, was taking place "at a moment of unprecedented global hunger" fuelled by climate change and COVID-19 "and made even worse by conflict."