LIVE: Lankan Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa headed to Saudi Arabia, says report

Live news upedates: Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is headed to Saudi Arabia via Singapore

3:02 PM

Devotees start pouring in Haridwar as Kanwar Yatra begins

The Kanwar Yatra began on the first day of the Hindu month of Shravan on Thursday amid tight security arrangements with Shiva devotees reaching Haridwar in large numbers to fetch the waters of the Ganga.

 

The Kanwar Yatra is taking place after a gap of two years due to Covid-19 and the authorities hope that at least four crore Kanwariyas will come to Haridwar and neighbouring Rishikesh to collect the waters of the holy river during the nearly fortnight-long fair.

 

All arrangements have been made for the yatra and police are committed for making it a success, Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said.

2:57 PM

UP court sends Zubair to 14-day judicial custody

A local court in Uttar Pradesh has sent Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair to 14-days judicial custody on Thursday.

Zubair was presented in the court in a case registered against him under section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, etc.), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class), 298 (Uttering, words, etc with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) of Indian Penal Code and section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act.

The Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Hathras had recently issued B warrant against the fact-checker.

2:50 PM

COAI urges fair play to prevent 'backdoor entry' to big tech for enterprise 5G

Industry body COAI on Thursday said administrative allocation of spectrum for private 5G networks will be against tenets of level playing field as it lauded use of open bidding and transparent auction route by companies seeking 5G airwaves.

 

Administrative allocation of spectrum for captive 5G networks is against principles of level playing field and "effectively provides a backdoor entry to big technology players to provide 5G services and solutions to enterprises in India" without equivalent regulatory compliance and payment of levies that telcos are subject to.

 

2:41 PM

'Reasonable criticism won't constitute contempt', A-G refuses action against ex-judge, others

Attorney General (AG) K.K. Venugopal has refused to give consent to initiate contempt proceedings against Justice S.N. Dhingra, former Delhi High Court judge, former Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi and senior advocate K. Rama Kumar for their remarks against the Supreme Court's comments made during the hearing of Nupur Sharma case.

The AG emphasized that fair and reasonable criticism of judicial proceedings would not constitute contempt of court.

Venugopal said: "It may be noted that the Supreme Court, in a large number of judgments, has held that fair and reasonable criticism of judicial proceedings would not constitute contempt of court".

2:31 PM

I win elections to cut taxes, Rishi Sunak hits back at critics in UK PM race

Former finance minister Rishi Sunak enters a second round of voting on Thursday in the Conservative Party leadership election to determine the next British Prime Minister with a comfortable lead and has hit back at critics of his tax plans.

Sunak, 42, is firmly placed as the candidate to beat in the race after he won the first round of voting on Wednesday with 88 votes and then received the backing of former Cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt, who was last placed with 18 votes.

Tory members of Parliament will have their say at the ballot box again as the six remaining candidates including Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt (67 votes), Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (50 votes), former minister Kemi Badenoch (40 votes), backbencher Tom Tugendhat (37 votes) and Suella Braverman (32 votes) are whittled down further, with those with the least votes getting eliminated in round two.

2:14 PM

UK's Sunak says inflation, not tax cuts, are priority

British former finance minister Rishi Sunak said his first economic priority if he becomes prime minister will be tackling high inflation, not the tax cuts pledged by some of his rivals in the race to replace Boris Johnson.

 

British consumer price inflation hit a 40-year high of 9.1% in May, and the Bank of England forecasts it will exceed 11% in October when regulated household energy tariffs increase next.

2:08 PM

Presidential poll: NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu meets lawmakers of BJP, supporting parties in Goa

Legislators and MPs of the BJP and its supporting parties in Goa on Thursday attended a meeting with the National Democratic Alliance's nominee Droupadi Murmu for the presidential election.

 

Murmu arrived in Goa earlier in the day to seek support from the lawmakers for her candidature for the July 18 presidential poll.

2:08 PM

SC refuses to list for urgent hearing PIL seeking common dress code in educational institutes

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to accord urgent hearing to a PIL which seeks a direction to the Centre and states to implement a common dress code for staffers and students in registered educational institutions for securing equality and promoting fraternity and national integration.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana was urged by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay that his PIL be also listed for hearing like the batch of appeals filed against the Karnataka High Court verdict on the hijab row.

On Wednesday, the bench, also comprising justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli, took note of the submissions of lawyer Prashant Bhushan and agreed to list next week the petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court verdict refusing to lift the ban on hijab in educational institutions of the state.

1:46 PM

Maha: Over 3,000 people shifted to safety amid heavy rains in Gadchiroli

Over 3,000 people from 29 villages in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district have been shifted to safety as a precaution due to incessant rainfall in the region, an official said on Thursday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for the district for the day, with a forecast of heavy to moderate showers in various parts, he said.

According to the disaster management cell, Godavari, Kaleshwaram and Indravati rivers in the district are flowing above the danger level, while Wainganga, Pranhita and Wardha rivers are inching close to the warning level.

1:11 PM

Sri Lanka's anti-government protesters to hand back iconic govt buildings to authorities

Sri Lanka's anti-government demonstrators on Thursday decided to vacate some of the iconic administrative buildings, including the President's House and the Prime Minister's Office, they have been occupying since April 9 demanding president Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation.

 

On July 9, protesters occupied President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's presidential palace and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's private house. The Prime Minister's Office was overrun on Wednesday.

 

1:08 PM

Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin hospitalised

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, who tested positive for Coronavirus on July 12, was on Thursday admitted to a hospital for investigations and observation.

 

Stalin was admitted in the Kauvery Hospital at Alwarpet here for investigations and observation for covid related symptoms, a hospital bulletin said.

12:53 PM

Need blended finance, private capital leveraging to achieve SDG: Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday underlined the need for blended finance and leveraging private capital to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs).

She was speaking at the Sustainable Finance for Climate Transition roundtable in Bali, Indonesia, which is hosting the third G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG).

"The Union Finance Minister highlighted the role of #MDBs, use of #BlendedFinance and leveraging #PrivateCapital for scaling up #SustainableFinance and reaching #SDGs," the finance ministry said in a series of tweets.

12:37 PM

Panasonic announces to build $4 bn EV battery plant in US

Japanese conglomerate Panasonic Energy on Thursday announced to invest approximately $4 billion on an electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in the US that will generate up to 4,000 jobs.

Panasonic Energy tied up with the city of Kansas for a proposed US-based lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility, expected to be larger than the Gigafactory it operates with Tesla in Sparks, Nevada.

"This project will be transformative for the Kansas economy, providing high-quality, high-tech jobs while bringing a new industry to the state that is forging a more sustainable future," said Governor Laura Kelly.

12:33 PM

Prez poll: Sena lawmakers supporting Uddhav Thackeray not to attend Murmu meet

Shiv Sena MLAs and MPs loyal to former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray will not attend a meeting to be held in Mumbai on Thursday for the presidential poll campaign of National Democratic Alliance nominee Droupadi Murmu.

"We are not going for the meeting. There is no message yet whether Murmu will visit Uddhavji at 'Matoshree'," Sena's Sindhudurg MP Vinayak Raut told PTI.

'Matoshree' is the private residence of Thackeray in Bandra area of Mumbai.

Thackeray on Tuesday announced his party's support for Murmu in the July 18 presidential election.

12:31 PM

Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV offers 610 kms in single charge, pips Tesla Model 3

Hyundai Motor on Thursday launched its Extended Range all-electric Ioniq 6 that delivers 610 kms on a fully charged battery -- a range that is better than the Long-Range Tesla Model 3 that can do 602 kms on a single charge.

Ioniq 6 'Electrified Streamliner' that promises to go from 0 km/hour to 100 km/hour in 5.1 seconds, will go on sale in the US early next year and the company is yet to announce the price.

With a 350-kW charger, IONIQ 6 can charge from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in just 18 minutes.

12:30 PM

US striving for reshaping global food market, drive Russia out of it: Russian Embassy

The US accusations that Russia is making obstacles for transporting grain from Ukraine are baseless and just an attempt to reshape the global food market, by driving Russia out of it, the Russian Embassy to the United States said.

"Our country is not hampering [grain] exports. It is the Ukrainian party that have mined the Black Se waters ... We are regarding such statements as a sign of the intensified US efforts to reshape the global agricultural market by driving Russia out of food trade," the embassy said in a statement.

The diplomatic mission also stressed that the US is using unilateral sanctions to block Russian trade cooperation with foreign nations and ruin the supply chains.

12:26 PM

Satyendar Jain's wife skips ED summon on health grounds

Poonam Jain, the wife of Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to join the probe on Thursday in connection with a money laundering case under PMLA, won't appear before the agency on medical grounds.

Last Friday, the ED had asked Poonam Jain to join the investigation on July 14.

Satyendar Jain is currently lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with the money laundering case after the court rejected his bail application.

On July 1, the ED had arrested Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain, the two associates of the Health Minister.

12:24 PM

Foundation stone for south India's first nano urea plant to be laid today

The foundation stone for Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-Operative Ltd's (IFFCO) Rs 350 crore nano urea (liquid) plant near here would be laid on Thursday.

 

"South India's first nano urea plant foundation will be laid in Bangalore on July 14 with an investment of around Rs 350 crore," IFFCO said.

 

IFFCO said it has planned to set up another eight plants across the country with a capacity of 34 crore bottles (500 ml) per annum.

12:22 PM

Opposition up in arms against 'unparliamentary words' report usage

Several senior members of Parliament have lashed out at the report of the Lok Sabha Secretariat which has released a list of words that has been designated as "unparliamentary."

The list comes just ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament that begins on July 18.

Usage of many words - such as 'corruption', 'corrupt', 'Jumlajeevi', 'tanashah', 'Dictator', 'black' and 'Khalistani' are among those that have been banned.

Senior members of Parliament including Jairam Ramesh Derek O'Brien and Randeep Surjewala Priyanka Chaturvedi have questioned the intent behind such a notification.

12:21 PM

Sri Lanka parliamentary Speaker yet to receive President's resignation

Sri Lanka's parliamentary speaker is yet to receive President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation letter, local media reported.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that he has not yet received President Rajapaksa's resignation.

The resignation letter has not been sent because the President has not yet reached his destination, Daily Mirror reported quoting informed sources.

11:48 AM

Virat Kohli needs some 'extra chances', says Ashish Nehra

India's star cricketer Virat Kohli is going through a long patch of poor form. Kohli, one of the finest all-format batsmen in modern day cricket, has been struggling with the bat for almost two years.

 

Kohli, 33 has not scored a century since November 2019, when he scored 136 against Bangladesh in Kolkata. Recently, Kohli failed to produce a big knock in the fifth Test Match against England. Kohli scored 11 and 20 runs in the two innings as England won the test by 7 wickets.

 

Former fast bowler Ashish Nehra now has backed Virat Kohli to get some chances due to his performances in the past.

11:44 AM

ONDC to be gradually expanded to more cities: Piyush Goyal

The presence of open network for digital commerce, a Unified Payments Interface-type protocol, will be gradually expanded to more cities after the successful launch of its pilot phase, Union Minister Piyush Goyal has said.

 

Open network for digital commerce (ONDC) is a set of standards for voluntary adoption by sellers or logistics providers or payment gateways. The objective is to democratise the fast-growing e-commerce sector in the country to help small retailers and reduce the dominance of online retail giants.

 

It provides small retailers the freedom to choose any logistics player and seller platform based on different parameters like location and rates.

 

11:39 AM

Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' to visit Delhi on Friday

Chairman of Nepal's CPN (Maoist Centre) Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' is scheduled to visit India on Friday.

 

The visit is taking place soon after a high-level Chinese delegation visited Kathmandu and held talks with the president, prime minister and leaders of the major political parties including the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Maoist Center and among others.

 

Led by Liu Jianchao, the head of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the high-level Chinese delegation met with different communist party leaders and urged them for party unification.

11:28 AM

'Jumlajeevi', 'dohra charitra', 'snoopgate' declared unparliamentary

Words like 'jumlajeevi', 'dohra charitra', 'baal buddhi', and 'Snoopgate' have been declared 'unparliamentary' in both the Houses -- Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

A new booklet by the Lok Sabha Secretariat lists out unparliamentary words and expressions. These include 'anarchist', 'Shakuni', 'tanashah', 'taanashahi', 'dictatorial', 'Jaichand', 'Khalistani', 'vinash purush', and 'khoon se kheti' as unparliamentary and would be expunged if used during debates or otherwise in both the Houses.

The booklet has further listed words like 'dohra charitra', 'nautanki', 'dhindora peetna', 'nikamma' and 'behri sarkar' as unparliamentary expressions.

11:16 AM

Prez polls: NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu to meet MPs, MLAs in Mumbai today

The National Democratic Alliance's presidential election nominee Droupadi Murmu will meet the ruling alliance MPs and MLAs here on Thursday as part of the campaign to seek support for her candidature.

 

The meeting is scheduled at a suburban hotel, before which a luncheon has been organised with the parliamentarians and legislators, sources said.

 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis will welcome Murmu on her arrival at the airport in Mumbai.

 

11:06 AM

Fresh batch of over 5000 pilgrims leaves Jammu camp for Amarnath shrine

Amid tight security, another batch of over 5,000 pilgrims on Thursday left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here to offer prayers at the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.

The 15th batch comprising 5,449 pilgrims left in a convoy of 201 vehicles for the twin base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam and Baltal in the early hours, they said.

The officials said 1,666 pilgrims including 536 women and 43 children heading for Baltal in 61 vehicles were the first to leave the Bhagwati Nagar camp around 3.20 am, followed by the second convoy of 140 vehicles for Pahalgam, carrying 3,783 pilgrims including 702 women, 103 sadhus and 54 children at around 4.20 am.

10:56 AM

US approves eye drops that could replace reading glasses

The US has approved a new type of eye drop which they say could eliminate the need for reading glasses.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) recently approved the use of an eye drop designed to improve age-related near-vision, reports Express.co.uk.

Called Vuity, the drop is applied to each eye once a day and starts working within 15 minutes of application. The makers say each drop lasts for at least six hours.

As per the report, the drug is a formulation of a well-known compound known as pilocarpine.

10:55 AM

FSIB recommends Rajkiran Rai G as NaBFID MD

Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) has recommended former Union Bank of India managing director Rajkiran Rai G as the head of the newly set-up Rs 20,000-crore NaBFID.

The headhunter for state-owned banks and financial institutions selected the managing director for National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) after interviewing five shortlisted candidates on July 13.

"Keeping in view their performance in the interface, their overall experience and the extant parameters, the Bureau recommends Rajkiran Rai G for the position of MD in NaBFID," FSIB said in a statement.

10:46 AM

$2 billion agricultural park project in India to be announced at I2U2 summit

A $2 billion project for agricultural parks in India is likely to be announced at the first I2U2 Leaders' Summit, which begins on Thursday with a focus on food security challenges. The project will be funded partly by the UAE with technical expertise provided by Israel and with support from the US private sector, a senior White House official said.

The proposed virtual summit of India, Israel, UAE, and the USA dubbed "I2U2" is being projected as the Quad for West Asia. I2U2 is aimed to encourage joint investments in six mutually identified areas such as water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.

10:37 AM

Arunachal reports 45 new COVID-19 cases, highest single-day spike in fortnight

Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally rose to 64,792 on Thursday as 45 more people tested positive for the infection, the highest single-day spike in a fortnight.

The single-day recovery, however, surpassed the fresh infections as 51 people were cured of the disease.

Arunachal Pradesh had reported 35 cases on the previous day.