2:53 PMJ-K highway reopened for traffic, stranded vehicles, Amarnath pilgrims allowed
Vehicular traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway resumed on Friday after blockades caused by shooting stones and mudslides in Ramban district were cleared, officials said.
"Jammu-Srinagar highway is through. Many stretches are still single way open for traffic and intermittent shooting stones still going on, a traffic advisory said.
It said stranded vehicles were being cleared and people are advised not to travel on the highway without confirmation from traffic police.
Convoys of Amarnath pilgrims from Jammu have been allowed to move towards Kashmir valley, officials said.
2:48 PMSupreme Court judge Justice Khanwilkar retires
Justice A M Khanwilkar, the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, retired on Friday and thanked bar association leaders for their "love and affection”.
“As parting words I will only say thank you to all for the love and affection. Thank you so much. God bless you,” Justice Khanwilkar said.
He was sitting with Chief Justice N V Ramana and two other judges at the time of the rising of the ceremonial bench.
Justice Khanwilkar, who was elevated as the apex court judge on May 13, 2016, delivered several path-breaking judgements and was part of benches which rendered many important verdicts during his over five-year-long tenure.
2:48 PMCoal Scam: Court convicts former Coal Secy, others
A Delhi Court on Friday convicted former Coal Secretary H C Gupta and former joint-Secretary in the Ministry of Coal (MoC), K S Kropha, for criminal conspiracy, cheating, and corruption in a coal scam case related to the irregularities in allocation of Lohara East coal block in Maharashtra.
Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj also convicted Grace Industries Ltd. (GIL) and its Director Mukesh Gupta for criminal conspiracy and cheating, and posted the matter for August 4, when the court will hear arguments on the quantum of sentence to be awarded to four convicts.
2:32 PMHigh Court tells SDMA to keep watch on artificial lake near Gangotri glacier
The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) to conduct annual surveys of an artificial lake formed near the Gangotri glacier from May to September.
A division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice R C Khulbe issued the order on Thursday while disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Delhi resident Ajay Gautam.
The PIL claimed the artificial lake may pose danger in the future as it is located right at the point where the Ganga originates in the form of the Bhagirathi from the snout of Gaumukh.
2:32 PMPresident Wickremesinghe initiates talks with Opposition parties for forming all-party govt in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has initiated negotiations with the Opposition parties to persuade them to join an all-party government led by him as part of his efforts to establish trust in his administration and help the bankrupt country to recover from the worst economic crisis, according to media reports on Friday.
Talks are expected to be completed in one week, the Daily Mirror newspaper quoted sources as saying.
Wickremesinghe on Thursday held talks with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) of former president Miathripala Sirisena.
The main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party, however, will not join the government, the newspaper reported.
2:21 PMFor Taiwan, Pelosi visit is about US, China controlling risk
The crisis sparked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan misses a key point, experts say: that the real focus should be on how the United States and China manage their differences so the risks of confrontation don't spiral out of control.
News of a possible visit by Pelosi has set off intense speculation about China's potential diplomatic and military responses. But for Taiwan, the visit — if it occurs — would be merely the latest point of strife in an already tense situation that has shadowed the island democracy for decades.
“The main point is not in Pelosi coming to Taiwan, but it's to look at how the U.S. and China effectively control the risks that may arise,” said Arthur Zhin-Sheng Wang, a defense studies expert at Taiwan's Central Police University.
2:01 PMGovt demonstrated commitment to tiger conservation by increasing tiger reserves: Bhupender Yadav
The government has demonstrated its commitment to tiger conservation by increasing the number of tiger reserves from nine in 1973 to 52 at present, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Friday.
The government is also committed towards the well-being of the people who inhabit these tiger-bearing landscapes through creation of livelihood opportunities and interventions, he said at an event organised at the Chandrapur Forest Academy, Maharashtra, to mark the International Tiger Day.
According to the 1028 tiger census, India has a tiger population of 2,967. The tiger estimation is conducted once every four years.
1:48 PMIndia converting obstacles into opportunities: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that India is at the forefront in many sectors and is converting obstacles into opportunities.
Listing out the growth in industrial sectors despite the pandemic, Prime Minister Modi said, "India became second largest mobile phone manufacturer. Innovation has become a way of life. In the last six years, the number of recognised startups increased by 15,000 per cent. Last year India received a record FDI of 83 billion dollars. Our start-ups too received record funding post-pandemic."
Addressing the 42nd Convocation of Anna University in Chennai, PM Modi said that in just the past 6 years, the number of recognised start-ups has increased by 15 per cent. Every sector in India is bustling with a new life. Industry, investment, innovation or international trade, all are seeing India at the forefront, he said.
1:38 PMIndia tops list of nations seeking blocking scribe, news co tweets: Twitter report
India made the highest number of legal demands globally to remove content posted by verified journalists and news outlets on Twitter during July-December 2021, the microblogging platform said.
In its latest transparency report, Twitter said India was only behind the US in seeking Twitter account information, accounting for 19 per cent of global information requests.
It was among the top five countries to issue content-blocking orders to Twitter during July-December 2021 for all kinds of users.
1:31 PMUK PM race: Finalists Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss grilled at first hustings
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, the two finalists in the race to succeed Boris Johnson as the Conservative Party leader and British Prime Minister, were grilled on their policies in the first hustings directly addressing Tory party members who will be voting in the election.
While the economy and cost-of-living crises were the focal point as in earlier television debates, there were wider questions at the hustings in Leeds in Yorkshire, northern England, on Thursday night from the membership reflecting their loyalty to Johnson.
In a dramatic moment, a Tory member questioned Sunak's decision to quit as Chancellor earlier this month and accused the former minister of back-stabbing his former boss.
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