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8pm NEWSFEED

15, జులై 2022, శుక్రవారం

8pm NEWSFEED

Understanding China’s Role In Sri Lankan Crisis

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 04:29 AM PDT

Colombo [Sri Lanka]: While Sri Lanka faces its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages, China has turned a blind eye to the crisis and shifted the blame to the borrower, a media report said.

Amid the pandemic, the country was trying to rebuild its economy, but the tourism industry was hit badly, an article in the Global Strat View think-tank read. Tourism in Sri Lanka supports 10 to 15 per cent of the economy. The effect of the COVID-19 crisis, the loss of tourists, high government expenditure and tax cuts depleting state revenues, and the use of money for initiatives with minimal returns have all contributed to Sri Lanka’s economic meltdown.

Russia is the third largest market for Sri Lanka’s tea exports. As a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia was blocked from the SWIFT global payments system making the country unable to pay Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka turned to China for help and asked for USD 1 billion loan to meet repayments, and a USD 1.5 billion credit line to buy Chinese goods, however, no progress was attained even after months of negotiations.

The policies pursued by former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the mismanagement of the economy have contributed a lot to the present crisis in the country, however, they are linked to China.

The article read that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is well aware of the depth to which China has penetrated the island nation.

The country provided aid to Sri Lanka to end the civil war, create infrastructure and ‘convert’ the island nation into another Singapore.

China protected Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Gotabaya who allegedly were charged with human rights violations during the war with The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and provided assistance for economic development.

Mahinda Rajapaksa gave his approval for several Chinese infrastructure projects when he was in power from 2005 to 2015.

Citing the example of the Hambantota project, Global Strat View said the port developed with significant Chinese funding had no commercial viability, but China persuaded Sri Lanka to proceed with the project.

As the port struggled to gain momentum, Beijing wanted it as collateral, compelling the Sri Lankan government to hand over management to a Chinese corporation on a 99-year lease in 2017.

Sri Lanka has achieved economic growth through external borrowings for a very long time, and China has been one of the major creditors to the country.

China’s model of economic development adopted for Sri Lanka included a handful of Chinese companies investing in specific projects along with higher interest rates and agreements to govern such investments.

China’s blind eye to the economic and political condition of Sri Lanka allowed the spread of corruption and endemic borrowing, the publication said.

The country was made hostage to Chinese investments which worsened the structural weaknesses in the economy and contributed to the current crisis.

Lulu Mall Namaz Row: FIR Registered Against Unidentified Persons

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 03:26 AM PDT

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons amid the row over namaz inside the recently inaugurated Lulu Mall in Lucknow, police said.

The FIR has been registered under the relevant section of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on the complaint of Shishir Chaturvedi from Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha. This comes after a video went viral in which some people can be seen offering namaz inside the mall. The mall was inaugurated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on July 10.

“One Shishir Chaturvedi from Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha has lodged a complaint regarding the reading of namaz at Lulu Mall. Appropriate action will be taken after the investigation,” Ajay Pratap Singh, Police Station Incharge, Sushant Golf City, Lucknow said.
“FIR registered at Sushant Golf City Police Station on a complaint by Lulu Mall management. IPC Sections 153A, 295A, 341 and others are invoked in the FIR,” he added.
However, the General Manager of Lulu Mall, Sameer Verma said that the mall does not allow any prayers.

“Lulu Mall respects all the religions and kind of worshipping is not permitted here. In this regard, we provide strict training to our staff to keep an eye on such incidents,” he said.

5 Things You Need To Know About Monkeypox

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 02:29 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: With India reporting its first monkeypox case in Kerala on Thursday and the global outbreak of the disease continues, here’s everything you need to know about the virus.


What is monkeypox? As per World Health Organisation (WHO) it is a viral zoonotic infection caused by the monkeypox virus. It is an illness, which can spread from animals to humans. It can also spread from person to person.


What are the symptoms of monkeypox?
Fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes are the most common symptoms of monkeypox.


This is followed or accompanied by the development of a rash which can last for two to three weeks.

The rash can be found on the face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, eyes, mouth, throat, groin, and genital and/or anal regions of the body.

The number of lesions can range from one to several thousand.


How does monkeypox spread?
The illness can spread from person to person and also from animal to person.


The illness can spread to people when they come into physical contact with an infected animal. Animal hosts include rodents and primates.


The research on people infected with the virus is still underway and as per WHO, monkeypox spreads from person to person through close contact with someone who has a monkeypox rash, including through face-to-face, skin-to-skin, mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact, including sexual contact.


Who is at risk of catching monkeypox?
People who live with or have close contact (including sexual contact) with someone who has monkeypox, or who has regular contact with animals who could be infected, are most at risk.


How can I protect myself and others against monkeypox?
One can reduce the risk of catching monkeypox by limiting close contact with people who have suspected or confirmed monkeypox, or with animals who could be infected.


The contaminated environments need to be cleaned and disinfected. Most importantly, have open conversations with those you come into close contact with (especially sexual contact) about any symptoms you or they may have and keep yourself informed.


Seek medical advice if you think you might have monkeypox and isolate yourselves until tested or evaluated.


Experts say that the virus is found primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions.


“Monkeypox occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions. Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus. It typically presents clinically with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes. it is most commonly transmitted to people from wild animals such as rodents and primates, but human-to-human transmission also occurs. Typically, up to a tenth of persons suffering from monkeypox may die, with most deaths occurring in younger age groups,” said Founder Director, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, Dr Shuchin Bajaj.


Another health expert from Paras Hospital described the infection as similar to smallpox.


“Monkeypox virus is a type of viral infection. This is the same type of infection as smallpox used to be. This infection is found in the countries of Africa. If the animals there are infected with this infection, if a human comes in contact with them, then this virus spreads to humans. This virus is also transmitted to humans by coming in contact with a dead animal infected with this virus,” said Senior Consultant- Internal Medicine, Paras Hospital, Dr Rajesh Kumar.


On July 15, India reported the first monkeypox case in the country as samples from a traveller arriving in Kerala from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) three days ago testing positive for the viral disease. 

Rupee On Brink Of 80 Against US Dollar; Here’s What Caused It

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 02:22 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The rupee has witnessed a consistent depreciation against the US dollar with multiple all-time lows in 2022, and is now only a whisker away from touching the 80 mark.

The value of rupee depreciated by around 6 per cent this year.


Various factors that have put pressure on the rupee are rising current account deficit, the strengthened US dollar, and rising inflation amid high global commodity prices.

Prices of crude oil, which India imports heavily to meet its domestic demand, saw a sharp rise after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

India’s trade deficit widened to USD 45.18 billion in April-June 2022 period as compared to USD 5.61 billion recorded in the corresponding period of last year.


A depreciation in the rupee typically makes imported items costlier. India’s forex reserves, in the six months since January 2022, have declined by USD 34 billion.


India’s forex reserves had dropped for four out of the past fifth straight weeks, on account of RBI’s likely intervention in the market to defend the depreciating rupee.

Typically, the RBI intervenes in the market through liquidity management, including through the selling of dollars, with a view to preventing a steep depreciation in the rupee.


To reduce the dominance of the dollar, the RBI earlier this week announced a mechanism to settle payments for international trade in rupees, especially the country’s exports.


Persistent foreign capital outflows from India for the past nine-to-ten months in a row have also been a cause for concern. They have pulled out Rs 235,975 crore so far in 2022, data showed.


Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have been selling equities in the Indian markets due to various reasons, including tightening of monetary policy in advanced economies, and rising dollar and bond yields in the US.


Aiming to reduce rising current account deficit, the Central government on July 1 raised import duty on gold from 10.75 per cent to 15.0 per cent. Notably, India is a net importer of gold.


The Ministry of Finance in its latest Monthly Economic Review report said that a sudden and sharp surge in gold imports amid wedding season, as many weddings were postponed to 2022 from 2021 due to pandemic-induced restrictions, is also exerting pressure on the trade deficit.


The report went on to say India’s current account deficit, meaning a shortfall between the imports and exports, is expected to deteriorate in 2022-23 if recession concerns do not lead to a sustained and meaningful reduction in the prices of food and energy commodities.

Singapore Open 2022: Sindhu Beats Yue In Thriller; Prannoy, Saina Crash Out

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 02:19 AM PDT

Singapore [Singapore]: Double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu produced a strong comeback after loosing opening set against Han Yue of China in the women’s singles category on Friday to reach the semifinals of the ongoing Singapore Open 2022.

Playing on court 1, Sindhu overcame a strong challenge from her Chinese rival Han Yue 17-21 21-11 21-19 in a contest lasting 62 minutes to book her semifinal berth. The double Olympic medalist will next face Saena Kawakami, the Japanese world No. 38 who forced an upset by stopping Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand 21-17 21-19.

Meanwhile, star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy crashed out of the Singapore Open after suffering a defeat against Kodai Naraoka of Japan 21-12, 14-21, 18-21.

Playing on Court 3, Prannoy dominated Naraoka in the first game by 21-12 with his swift and aggressive move.

Naraoka made a stunning comeback against the Indian to take the second game and forced a decider. In the decider both the players played their aggressive game to clinch the match but Naraoka prevailed against Prannoy to advance to the next round with a thrilling 21-18 win.

On the other hand, it was heartbreak for Saina Nehwal as she suffered a defeat against Ohori. Saina goes down 13-21, 21-15, 20-22 after a hard-fought encounter which lasted 1 hour and 3 minutes. 

Spooky Motion Poster Of Katrina’s Horror-Comedy ‘Phone Bhoot’ Out

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 01:09 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Bollywood actors Katrina Kaif, Sidhant Chaturvedi and Ishaan Khatter unveiled a new motion poster of their upcoming horror comedy film ‘Phone Bhoot’.


Taking to Instagram, the ‘Sooryavanshi’ actor dropped the poster of her upcoming film, which she captioned,” Bhooton ki duniya se not out. Phone Bhoot ringing at cinemas near you 7th October onwards. #EkBhayanakComedy”.


In the spooky motion poster, Ishaan can be seen in a nerdy avatar, as he strikes a weird pose with a skeleton, whereas Sidhant can be seen with an all-smiles face, sitting with a skeleton.


Meanwhile, the ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ actor sported a chic bang haircut, as she donned an all-black look in the poster.


Directed by Gurmmeet Singh, ‘Phone Bhoot’ is produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment. The horror comedy has been written by Ravi Shankaran and Jasvinder Singh Bath. The film is slated to hit the theatres on October 7 this year.


Earlier, Katrina Kaif shared some ‘behind-the-scenes’ pictures with her co-stars Ishaan and Siddhant, having fun on the sets.


On the work front, the ‘Zero’ actor has quite a few films in her hand. Apart from ‘Phone Bhoot’, she will be seen sharing the screen with Salman Khan in ‘Tiger 3’ and with Vijay Sethupathi in ‘Merry Christmas’. She has also been signed by Excel Entertainment to star in ‘Jee Le Zaraa’ co-starring Alia Bhatt and Priyanka Chopra.


Meanwhile, Siddhant will be seen in Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahaan’ opposite Ananya Panday and Ishaan has ‘Pippa’ up for release, alongside Mrunal Thakur. 

Delhi: Minor Girl Raped In Vasant Vihar, 3 Held

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 01:04 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: As many as three people have been arrested for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl in the Vasant Vihar area of the national capital, police said.


The incident took place on July 6 and police received the complaint on July 8.

Based on the complainant’s statement, a case against all the three accused– aged 23, 25, and 35 years– has been registered under relevant sections of Rape in the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.


Police said that the victim had gone for a ride with all the three accused persons in their car at around 8.30 pm on July 6.


“A PCR call from S.J. Hospital was received around 4 am on July 8 where the caller informed about the incident of harassment with the minor,” Delhi Police said.


“On examination with the counsellor, the girl disclosed that two known men met her near Vasant Vihar market on July 6 and offered a joy ride, where all the four went to Mahipalpur and consumed liquor. Thereafter, they went to a lonely place where the men raped her inside the car,” police said.


However, no external injuries to the victim have been reported.


Further investigation into the matter is underway. 

Sri Lanka: Ranil Wickremesinghe Sworn In As interim President

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 12:59 AM PDT

Colombo [Sri Lanka]: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe Friday has sworn in as the interim President after Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena accepted the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.


Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the Acting President before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Daily Mirror reported citing Prime Minister’s Media Division.

Wickremesinghe was appointed as the acting President by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on July 13 after the latter fled to the Maldives due to the massive protest demanding his resignation.


Gotabaya Rajapaksa submitted his resignation letter yesterday after arriving in Singapore, officially vacating the post of President.


Parliament Speaker Abeywarden said, “Yes, the resignation (of President) has been accepted, the legal process will follow… Members will be invited tomorrow (to elect a President),”


Addressing the presser, Abeywardena said that from July 14, the President has legally resigned from his legal duties and responsibilities.


Abeywardena said that the President will be selected according to the provisions of the Special Provisions Act No. 2 of 1981 and Article 40 of the Constitution.

“It is my intention to complete this procedure successfully and speedily. As the oldest democracy in the South Asian region holding Democratic traditions sacred, completing this process in a transparent and Democratic manner would be a milestone not only in the history of Sri Lanka but also in the Democratic history of the world,” the Speaker added.


Rajapaksa who flew from the Maldives arrived in Singapore on board a Saudia Airlines flight on Thursday evening, media reports said.

According to earlier reports, Rajapaksa and his wife were expected to stay in Singapore and not travel further to the Middle East. As per various media reports, the Sri Lankan President and his wife, who took Saudia Airlines flight SV788 to Singapore, were expected to travel to Jeddah.


Rajapaksa, 73, had gone into hiding after crowds of protesters stormed his residence on July 9 and he had announced that he will hand over his resignation letter on Wednesday.


Earlier, Rajapaksa along with his wife escaped to the Maldives. Subsequently, the speaker appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the interim President of Sri Lanka.


Rajapaksa’s resignation comes after thousands of people stormed into the President’s House in Fort on Saturday. Even Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has also announced to step down from their posts amid the ongoing protests.

Netizens start Meme Fest After Lalit Modi Confirms Dating Sushmita Sen

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 11:56 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: After Indian Premier League founder Lalit Modi announced that he is currently dating former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen and the couple is planning to get married soon, Netizens have been having a meme fest.


Taking to Twitter, Modi, 56, dropped a string of pictures with the ‘Main Hoon Naa’ actor, to which he captioned,” Just back in London after a whirling global tour #maldives # sardinia with the families – not to mention my # better-looking partner @sushmitasen47- a new beginning a new life finally. Over the moon. In love does not mean marriage YET. BUT ONE THAT For sure”


Soon after the IPL Founder announced their linkup, netizens have a mixed reaction to the news, some poured in wishes to Lalit-Sushmita, whereas some people mocked them for their 10-year age gap.


Check out some hilarious fans’ reactions.

Lalit was previously married to Minal Sagrani, whom he married in October of 1991. They had two children together – son Ruchir and daughter Aliya.


Lalit is also a stepfather to Karima Sagrani, from Minal’s first marriage. Unfortunately, Minal lost her life to cancer in 2018.


On the other hand, Sushmita was in a relationship with model Rohman Shawl, whom she met through Instagram in 2018, but broke up with him last year. She is a mother of two adopted daughters Renee and Alisah.


Meanwhile, on the work front, the ‘Aankhen’ actor was last seen in Disney+ Hotstar’s Aarya Season 2, which gathered positive responses from the netizens.


Sushmita recently announced that the production work for the third season of her crime thriller series ‘Aarya’ has already begun.

Ivana Trump, Ex-Wife Of Former President Trump, Passes Away

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 11:41 PM PDT

Washington [US]: Ivana Trump, the ex-wife of former US President Donald Trump passed away on Thursday. She, 73, was found dead at her home at 10 E. 64th St. in Manhattan at 12:40 p.m. on Thursday, The New York Post reported citing police sources.

As per the sources, she suffered cardiac arrest and was dead by the time paramedics arrived.


Ivana Trump is the mother of Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump.


“Our mother was an incredible woman — a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and a caring mother and friend,” Eric Trump said in a statement announcing her death.


“She will be dearly missed by her mother, her three children and ten grandchildren,” he added.


“I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City,” the former president wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform.


“She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life, Trump said.


Ivana Trump told Vanity Fair in 1988 that “Donald calls me his twin as a woman” and often referred to the former president as “The Donald.”


Following the couple’s divorce, she told Oprah Winfrey in a 1992 interview that “I will not let men dominate me anymore,” New York Post reported.


She later went on to marry twice after Donald Trump. First to Italian businessman Riccardo Mazzucchelli in 1995, whom she divorced two years later, and again in Rossano Rubicondi in 2008.


Rubicondi, an Italian model and actor, was more than 20 years her junior, as per the reports by New York Post.


The couple was married at Mar-A-Lago in a wedding hosted by the former president and Ivanka served as the maid of honour. They divorced a year later.

Jharkhand: 33 Govt Schools in Dumka Have Off On Friday Instead Of Sunday

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 11:32 PM PDT

Dumka (Jharkhand): As many as 33 government schools in Jharkhand’s Dumka district have Friday as their weekly off instead of Sunday, apparently without any permission from authorities.


District Education authorities have sought a report into the matter, after which officials said an investigation will be initiated.

Incidentally, Dumka is the hometown of chief minister Hemant Soren.

Ten government schools of Dumka’s Shikaripara Block, eight of Ranishwar Block, seven of Saraiyahat Block, two of Jama Block and Jarmundi Block, Kathikund Block and Dumka Block have holidays on Fridays.

Most of these institutions sport name boards suffixing “Urdu school” along with the names of the schools.

“We have written a letter to the Block education officers of the 33 schools advising them to enquire into the matter. All the schools have Urdu in their names,” said Sanjay Kumar Das, District Superintendent of Education, Dumka on Thursday.


The official said that no instruction to keep schools closed on Friday has been issued by the department.


“It is being investigated how Urdu is tied to these institutions and under what conditions a weekly holiday on Friday is being offered in government schools. There’s no instruction from the department to keep schools closed on Friday. After receiving the report, we’ll start an investigation,” said Das.


Earlier this week, state Education Minister Jagarnath Mahto had said that he has sought a report after it came to light that schools in some Muslim-dominated areas in Jharkhand were giving leave on Friday instead of Sunday.


Mahto said that as soon as news came to light of the holidays being given in schools, in violation of the government order he called for a meeting with DEOs (District Education Officers) and DSEs (District Teacher Superintendents) of the Jamtara district.


The minister said that he has asked for a report within a week after investigating into the matter. “We are expecting a report regarding this matter within a week. Then we will deliberate over it. The instructions of the government will be followed,” Mahto said.


Das further informed that a few schools in the Dumka district had been observing the weekly holiday on Friday and he has sought a report from the schools of every block of the district.

After the report comes, then it will be known how many schools have a holiday on Friday and classes on Sunday.

It is also being inquired how many schools are being notified as Urdu schools in the Dumka district.
Moreover, the principals of some government schools confirmed that the schools were giving weekly holiday every Friday instead of Sunday.

Shalini Gudiya Marandi, principal of Urdu Middle School, Kumharpada, Dumka, said that ever since she was posted in this school in 2015, she has been observing that Friday was a weekly holiday.


According to the teacher, the majority of students studying in the school belong to the minority community.


However, the medium of instruction of the schools, which have suffixed ‘Urdu schools to their names is in Hindi and all subjects are taught in the same language similar to other government schools.


Due to Friday being a weekly holiday, the week starts on Saturday in the Urdu Namdhari Government Primary and Middle Schools of the district.


The menu, for the mid-day meals, which has been put up on the walls of the schools listing the various food to be provided on different days says the week begins on Sunday and Friday is marked as a holiday.


An investigation into the matter is underway. 

India’s Current Account Deficit To Deteriorate In FY23: Finance Ministry

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 11:26 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: India’s current account deficit, meaning a shortfall between the imports and exports, is expected to deteriorate in 2022-23 if recession concerns do not lead to a sustained and meaningful reduction in the prices of food and energy commodities, the Ministry of Finance said in its latest Monthly Economic Review report.


Softening of global commodity prices may put a leash on inflation, but their elevated levels also need to decline quickly to reduce India’s current account deficit.

A sudden and sharp surge in gold imports amid wedding season, as many weddings were postponed to 2022 from 2021 due to pandemic-induced restrictions, is also now exerting pressure on the trade deficit, it said.


The country’s trade deficit widened to USD 45.18 billion in April-June 2022 period as compared to USD 5.61 billion recorded in the corresponding period of last year.


In order to alleviate the impact, the government recently hiked the customs duty on gold from present 10.75 per cent to 15.0 per cent.


“The deterioration of current account deficit could, however, moderate with an increase in service exports in which India is more globally competitive as compared to merchandise exports,” it said.


The widening of current account deficit has depreciated the Indian rupee against the US dollar by 6 per cent since January of 2022, and is on the brink of touching 80 mark.


“The depreciation (in rupee), in addition to elevated global commodity prices, has also made price-inelastic imports costlier, thereby making it further difficult to reduce the CAD,” it said.


A depreciation in rupee typically makes imported items costlier. India’s forex reserves, in the six months since January 2022, have declined by USD 34 billion.


However, the momentum in the Indian economy is holding up better than expected, despite commodity price shocks in the last four months, the report added.


“After a sluggish start, the seasonal rainfall has picked up and it is geographically well dispersed. That is good news too.” 

India’s Services Sector Saw Recovery On Improved Demand

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 11:19 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: India’s services sector has witnessed a broad-based recovery in sales revenues in both nominal and real terms during the January-March 2022 quarter, the Ministry of Finance said in its latest Monthly Economic Review report.


The Information technology (IT) companies maintained strong growth while non-IT service companies continued to recover from the slump caused by the lockdown.

A broad-based recovery in service activity continued in the first quarter of 2022-23, which can be attributed to improvements in demand following the retreat of pandemic restrictions, capacity expansion, and a favourable economic environment.


Domestic freight movement data also signaled resilience, with railway freight continuing to expand in double-digits on a year-on-year basis in June 2022.


“Hotels and tourism, trading, shipping transport services, information technology or software and films exhibition all witnessed a growth of over 20 per cent,” the report said, adding that road, railway, shipping transport, and media content, however, experienced negative growth in real terms.


On the other hand, the report raised concern about India’s rising current account deficit.


India’s current account deficit, meaning a shortfall between the imports and exports, will deteriorate in 2022-23 on account of costlier imports and tepid exports, if recession concerns do not lead to a sustained and meaningful reduction in the prices of food and energy commodities.


A sudden and sharp surge in gold imports amid wedding season, as many weddings were postponed to 2022 from 2021 due to pandemic-induced restrictions, is also now exerting pressure on the trade deficit, it said.


The country’s trade deficit widened to $45.18 billion in April-June 2022 period as compared to $5.61 billion recorded in the corresponding period of last year.


In order to alleviate the impact, the government recently hiked the customs duty on gold from the present 10.75 per cent to 15.0 per cent.


The widening of the current account deficit has depreciated the Indian rupee against the US dollar by 6 per cent since January of 2022 and is on the brink of touching the 80 mark.


A depreciation in the rupee typically makes imported items costlier, which is already reflected in the country’s foreign exchange reserves data. India’s forex reserves during the six months in 2022 have declined by $34 billion.

India, China Have To Solve Border Issue Through Talks: Dalai Lama

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 11:12 PM PDT

Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir): Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Friday said that India and China must solve the border dispute through talks and peaceful means.


The remarks by the Dalai Lama come ahead of 16th round of Corps Commander-level meetings between India and China, expected to start on July 17, in the backdrop of a stand-off between the two countries along the Line of Actual Control in the eastern Ladakh sector and the Galwan clashes of 2020.

The 14th Dalai Lama today left for Ladakh after a stopover in Jammu where he had arrived on Thursday from his base in Dharamshala.


“India and China are both competitive nations and neighbours, sooner or later you have to solve this problem through talks and peaceful means. The use of military force is outdated,” the Dalai Lama said.


Earlier talking to reporters in Jammu yesterday, the 87-year-old spiritual leader said that the majority of people in China realise that he is not seeking independence within China but meaningful autonomy and preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture.


“Not Chinese people, but some Chinese hardliners consider me a separatist. Now, more and more Chinese are realising that Dalai Lama not seeking independence but within China meaningful autonomy and to preserve Tibetan Buddhist culture,” the Dalai Lama said.


The Tibetan spiritual leader was responding to a question on China objecting to his visit to Ladakh.


The Dalai Lama also said that more and more Chinese are showing interest in Tibetan Buddhism. “Some of the Chinese scholars have realised that Tibetan Buddhism is truly knowledge and tradition and a very scientific religion.”


The Tibetan spiritual leader is on a two-day official visit to Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory Ladakh. This is the first official tour of the Dalai Lama outside his base in Dharamshala since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The visit also marks his first visit to the region since the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.


The spiritual leader’s trip is likely to irk China as Beijing had recently criticised Prime Minister Modi, for extending wishes to the Dalai Lama on his 87th birthday, stating that India should stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China’s internal affairs.

The External Affairs Ministry had slammed China’s criticism and said that it has been a consistent policy of the government to treat the Dalai Lama as a guest in India.


Meanwhile, India and China have been engaged in a standoff since April-May 2020 over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Finger area, Galwan Valley, Hot springs, and Kongrung Nala.

The situation worsened after violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020.

Covid Vaccination Amrit Mahotsav- Advocating Free Protection Dose Launched

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 11:07 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya launched ‘Covid Vaccination Amrit Mahotsav’ at Covid Vaccination Camp in Nirman Bhawan here on Friday and appealed to the masses to get the free dose so as to ensure protection against COVID-19.


“All Health Ministry employees initiated their inoculation of the free doses. My appeal to all citizens above the age of 18 years to get the free dose to ensure your protection against COVID19,” said “On ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, all eligible populations (18+) can get a free precaution dose for the next 75 days, starting today,” he added.

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba is also likely to chair a meeting with all Chief Secretaries of all states/UTs on the free precaution dose campaign launched today for the next 75 days.


The free vaccination drive has been launched with an aim to increase the uptake of the precautionary dose of the COVID vaccine among the eligible adult population.


This special vaccination drive is a part of the celebration for Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and aims to provide free precaution dose for all adults (18 years and above) eligible population at Government COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs).


In a virtual meeting with State/UT Health Secretaries and NHM MDs chaired by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday, States and UTs have been urged to give an intensive and ambitious push toward full COVID19 vaccination coverage by vaccinating all eligible beneficiaries and covering them with precaution dose.


States/UTs were directed to implement ‘COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsava’ for 75 days as ‘Jan Abhiyaan’ with massive mass mobilization, through a camp approach.

They were advised to organise special vaccination camps on the routes of Char Dham Yatra (Uttarakhand), Amarnath Yatra (Jammu &Kashmir), Kanwar Yatra (all States/UTs of North India) as well as major Melas and congregations.


The Union Health Secretary highlighted that less percentage of precaution doses uptake among population groups aged 18 years and above (8 per cent) and persons aged 60 years and above (27 per cent) is a cause of concern.


The Centre has announced a special drive ‘COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsava’ to be launched to provide free precaution doses at all Government Covid Vaccination Centres for persons aged 18 years and above for 75 days from July 15 to September 30, 2022.


Those eligible for the precaution dose include all persons above 18 years who have completed 6 months (or 26 weeks) from the date of administration of the 2nd dose.

Tokyo To Host 2025 World Athletics Championships

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 10:51 PM PDT

Monte-Carlo [Monaco]: The World Athletics Council on Thursday selected Tokyo, Japan, to host the 2025 World Athletics Championships.


At the World Athletics Council Meeting in Oregon, USA, the Council also announced that the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held in Medulin and Pula in Croatia and the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held in Tallahassee, Florida.


The 2025 World Athletics Championships will see the sport’s biggest stars return to Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium, venue for last year’s Olympic Games, in the year that the Japanese Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) celebrates its centenary year.

In 2025, Tokyo will have the opportunity to fill its Olympic stadium with fans who were denied the opportunity to attend the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games due to pandemic restrictions.

The other candidates for the event were Nairobi, Silesia and Singapore, all of which were deemed strong enough and experienced enough to host the event.

Tokyo scored the highest of the four candidates in the bid evaluation across the four focused areas: the potential for a powerful narrative; revenue-generating opportunities for World Athletics; a destination that will enhance the international profile of the sport; and an appropriate climate.

As one of the largest athletics stadiums in the world, the main stadium facilities in Tokyo are best in class and likely to present the best opportunity for athlete success at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.


World Athletics President Sebastian Coe thanked all the cities that took the time and effort to prepare bids, showing their commitment to athletics. He reinforced the Council’s wish that all of them continue to discuss future opportunities to host World Athletics events.

“Within an extremely strong field of candidates to host the World Athletics Championships 2025, Tokyo offered a compelling bid,” Coe said.


“I hope this will be a shining light for Japan as they celebrate 100 years of the Japanese Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) in 2025, by bringing world-class athletics back to the people in Tokyo,” he added.

JAAF President Mitsugi Ogata said: “We are immensely proud that World Athletics has demonstrated its confidence and trust in Japan to host the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Together with World Athletics as one team, we will capitalise on this opportunity to showcase the best possible global event for growing our sport to a higher level.

“History has shown that we have the ability and energy to host the world’s top athletes and to inspire international audiences. We promise that the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo will be full of fans to become an unforgettable experience for the athletes and everyone involved,” Ogata said.

The 18th edition of the World Athletics Championships begins in Oregon on Friday (15), while Budapest in Hungary will host the 2023 event. 

IndiGo’s Vadodara-Bound Flight Diverted To Jaipur after Vibrations In Engine

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 10:47 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Vadodara was diverted to Jaipur on Thursday night as a precautionary measure following vibrations in the engine for a fraction of a second.


An alternate aircraft was arranged for the onward journey of the passengers.

The IndiGo spokesperson said, “An IndiGo flight 6E-859, operating between Delhi and Vadodara was diverted to Jaipur on 14 July 2022.”


The spokesperson added, “There was a caution message indicated to the pilot en route. As a precaution, the pilot diverted the aircraft to Jaipur for further checks. The passengers were accommodated on an alternate aircraft for their onward journey.”


The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said that they have ordered a probe into the matter.


During the last six days, a sizeable number of the airline’s aircraft maintenance technicians have gone on sick leaves to protest against their low salaries and demand restoration of salaries that were slashed during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Amid the mass sick leave protest, IndiGo on Wednesday said it is in the process of addressing issues related to its employee remuneration.


IndiGo also released a statement saying that they are in constant dialogue with its employees to take care of any issues or grievances.


IndiGo’s statement read, “As a responsible employer, IndiGo is in constant dialogue with its employees to take care of any issues or grievances. The aviation industry has undergone a difficult phase over the last 24+ months. As business recovers, we are in the process of addressing some of the issues related to employee remuneration. This is an ongoing activity and we will continue to take employee feedback in the process.”


IndiGo also said that the airline’s operations will continue to be normal, with the addition of several new destinations to their network.


“Meanwhile, our operations continue to be normal, while we add several new destinations to our network and look forward to welcoming customers from across India and the world,” it added.


Earlier on Wednesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also said that they are keeping a close watch on the situation that emerged after maintenance technicians of airlines went on mass sick leave.

India Logs 20,038 New COVID Cases In Last 24 Hours

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 10:41 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: India reported over 20,000 new COVID cases for the second day in a row on Friday as it logged 20,038 infections in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.


The country had breached the 20,000 mark after 145 days logging 20,139 cases yesterday.

The active cases in the country have gone up to 1,39,073 .


As many as 16,994 COVID patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours taking the total number of recoveries since the beginning of the pandemic in the country to 4,30,45,350.


The recovery rate currently stands at 98.48 per cent.


According to the Ministry, 47 patients succumbed to the virus during this period. The death toll in the country rose to 5,25,604.


The country tested 4,50,820 samples in the last 24 hours and the daily positivity rate came out to be 4.44 per cent (5.10 per cent yesterday) while the weekly positivity rate was 4.30 per cent (4.37 per cent yesterday).


Under the nationwide vaccination drive, 18,92,969 COVID vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours.

The total number of vaccines jabbed till date reached 1,99,47,34,994.
I

n the new phase of the universalisation of the COVID vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.


Meanwhile, with an aim to increase the uptake of the precautionary dose of COVID vaccine among the eligible adult population, 75 days – ‘COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsava’ will commence on Friday, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.


This special vaccination drive is a part of the celebration for Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and aims to provide free precaution dose for all adults (18 years and above) eligible population at Government COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs).


“It will start from today and continue for the next 75 days. We will try to vaccinate all the citizens between 18-59 years of age,” Dr Bijay Panigrahi, Director, Family Welfare and Nodal Officer Vaccination said.


In a virtual meeting with State/UT Health Secretaries and NHM MDs chaired by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday, States and UTs have been urged to give an intensive and ambitious push toward full COVID-19 vaccination coverage by vaccinating all eligible beneficiaries and covering them with precaution dose. 

Fire Breaks Out At Delhi Restaurant; No Casualties Reported

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 10:38 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: A fire broke out at a restaurant in Connaught Place in the national capital on Friday. The blaze has been brought under control.

According to the Delhi Fire Service, the incident happened after a piece of furniture on the first floor of a restaurant caught fire.


“A fire call was received at 5.32 am from a restaurant in the Outer Circle Connaught Place, opposite Alka Hotel. A total of six fire tenders rushed to the site. Fire is brought under control and so far no one is injured,” the Delhi Fire Service informed.


No casualties have been reported.

Sonu Sood’s Fans Invite 11 Crore People On Explurger

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 10:35 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: When actor and philanthropist Sonu Sood does something, it makes waves far and wide. The same is the case with his social media app, Explurger, which he founded with his friend, entrepreneur Jitin Bhatia.


Within the first month of the app launch, the actor’s fans have invited a record 11 crore people on Explurger.

This has resulted in an unprecedented surge in app downloads within 30 days of the launch, where the actor revealed himself to be the co-founder.

The app now stands at 800K downloads from 50 countries. Last month, on June 27, #SonuSoodExplurger also trended on Twitter for hours after he urged people to join him on his social media app for the global audience.

Actor Sonu Sood said, “I am delighted and thankful to get such a huge response from people. The kind of love we receive is an endorsement of our app’s virality quotient. We have worked hard to offer unique features and put power in the hands of the users. I can’t thank people enough for their love.”


Jitin Bhatia, Founder and CEO, shared the enthusiasm, saying, “Our metrics are tracking well. Our sign-up rate increased from 45 per cent to 85 per cent after the launch. The average engagement time has increased from 6 minutes to 11 minutes. And from 600 posts per day before the launch, we are now getting an average of 25K posts every day.

This is very encouraging as the numbers have been on the rise, so if I were to give you the latest metrics, it would be much more. This is just the beginning; there is no doubt the numbers will grow exponentially as the word goes out. Imagine an app getting 11 crore recommendations! That is how we see our users inviting others.”


When asked what he thinks is the reason behind the success of Explurger, Sonu Sood said, “We are not just a social media app. We are your travel buddy too! Our unique features help you go beyond just sharing pictures and videos. We guard your priceless memories for you. Here, your pictures don’t get lost in oblivion.

On Explunger, they become part of the travelogue, which is created automatically for you by our cutting-edge AI. Many users love to check out how many miles they have travelled, how many countries, locations they have visited and how many times.”


He added, “We are also getting a lot of great response for Bucket List, a super-fun feature.

If you see someone Explurge-in at an interesting place, add that place to your Bucket List. Next time you are around that area, you will be reminded that you had saved it in your list. So, even if it is after years, you will get a notification about that place.”


Jitin Bhatia, Founder and CEO, said, “Also, I think we are a hit because we empower and reward the user. So, for the time they spend on being active on the app, they win Rewards from our Rewards pool with more than 39 brands on board.”


Interestingly, Explurger is an AI-powered intuitive social media app that lets users connect and share their moments with friends and family online. It also gamifies the user experience; higher engagement pushes the Explurger level up, resulting in more recognition on the platform.


Explurger has been part of the Appscale Academy, a growth and development programme launched by MeitY and Google, where Indian start-ups are mentored on building high-quality apps for a global audience. In May 2022, the social media start-up was even recognised by Google in its “Top 30 Mobile Startups in India” list.

Man Posing As IPS Officer On Matrimonial Sites Arrested In Mumbai

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 10:27 PM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): A man was arrested for duping a woman and posing as an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer in Mumbai, according to the police.


The accused, identified as Abhijeet Parmeshwar Gadhave, used to pose as an IPS officer and claimed that his father was a retired army officer in a fake profile on matrimonial websites.

On the complaint of the woman who was duped by the accused, the Sakinaka Police started the investigation.


Police arrested the accused from a building in Ghatkopar on Wednesday.

According to the victim, the accused had introduced himself as an IPS officer and had promised her a job with a company at the Mumbai Airport.

The accused took over Rs 70,000 for providing an ID and joining letter for the company.

However, when she contacted the officials at the company, she discovered that the ID and letter were fake.


Further investigation into the matter is underway. 

Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Resignation Accepted, New President Within 7 Days

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 10:22 PM PDT

Colombo [Sri Lanka]: As massive protests across Sri Lanka continue, the country’s Parliament Speaker, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Friday said that the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President has been accepted.

“Yes, the resignation (of President) has been accepted, the legal process will follow… Members will be invited tomorrow (to elect a President),” Abeywarden said.


Addressing the presser, Abeywardena said that from July 14, the President has legally resigned from his legal duties and responsibilities.


He further said that Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be sworn in as an interim President till the conclusion of electing a new President by Parliament.


Abeywardena said that the President will be selected according to the provisions of the Special Provisions Act No. 2 of 1981 and Article 40 of the Constitution.

“It is my intention to complete this procedure successfully and speedily. As the oldest democracy in the South Asian region holding Democratic traditions sacred, completing this process in a transparent and Democratic manner would be a milestone not only in the history of Sri Lanka but also in the Democratic history of the world,” the Speaker added.


He requested cooperation from the party leaders, state officials, and security forces for this democratic process.

“My special appeal to our respected and dear citizens of Sri Lanka is to create a peaceful environment that will allow all members of Parliament to attend Parliament freely and act according to their conscience,” Abeywardena said.


The Parliament Speaker said that he intended to conclude the presidential election process within a short period of seven days.

He also said that he had invited the members of Parliament to come tomorrow and will cast their votes for the next President.


Meanwhile, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Rajapaksa has been allowed entry into Singapore on a private visit and he has not asked for asylum nor has he been granted asylum.


Rajapaksa who flew from the Maldives arrived in Singapore on board a Saudia Airlines flight on Thursday evening, media reports said.

According to earlier reports, Rajapaksa and his wife were expected to stay in Singapore and not travel further to the Middle East.

As per various media reports, the Sri Lankan President and his wife, who took Saudia Airlines flight SV788 to Singapore, were expected to travel to Jeddah.


Rajapaksa, 73, had gone into hiding after crowds of protesters stormed his residence on July 9 and he had announced that he will hand over his resignation letter on Wednesday.


Earlier, Rajapaksa along with his wife escaped to the Maldives. Subsequently, the speaker appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the interim President of Sri Lanka.


Rajapaksa’s resignation comes after thousands of people stormed into the President’s House in Fort on Saturday.

Even Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has also announced to step down from their posts amid the ongoing protests.

‘This Too Shall Pass’, Babar Azam Backs Virat Kohli As He Fails To Score Big Against England

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 10:03 PM PDT

Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has come out in support of star Indian batter Virat Kohli after the latter’s dip in form.

Babar took to his Twitter and wrote, “This too shall pass. Stay strong. #ViratKohli,” along with a photo of him and Kohli. After missing the first ODI against England with a groin injury, Kohli made just 16 in the second match, which India lost by 100 runs at Lord’s.

India’s T20I squad to take on the West Indies is also missing his name, with Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal rested for the same tour.

With a T20 World Cup around the corner and World Test Championship points needed to keep up in a race for next year’s final, Kohli’s place in the team is being debated by fans and former legends. However, he has the support of Babar Azam.

Making international centuries in recent series against Australia and the West Indies, as well as a T20I half-century against Australia in Lahore last month, Babar is top of the list in the ICC batting rankings for both ODI and T20Is, and fourth in Test cricket.

Earlier in the week, Kohli also found support from captain Rohit Sharma, who stood up for his teammate ahead of the England ODIs.

“When someone is scoring consistently for so long, we can’t overlook his contribution if he is not scoring in one or two series or in one or two years,” ICC quoted Rohit as saying.

“We know the importance of Virat Kohli. The experts have got all the right to talk about it but for us these things don’t matter,” he added.

Virat Kohli Does Not Need Reassurance, Says Rohit Sharma

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 09:56 PM PDT

London [UK]: After the defeat against England in the second ODI by 100 runs, India captain Rohit Sharma backed Virat Kohli, who is currently struggling with bad form, saying he is such a great batsman so he does not need reassurance.

“He [Kohli] has played so many matches. He is playing for so many years. He is such a great batsman so he does not need reassurance,” Rohit said in a post-match press conference. Having sat out the first ODI on Tuesday due to a groin strain, Kohli this morning took a sort of a batting fitness test before giving a firm nod to India coach Rahul Dravid about him being ready.

In the second ODI Kohli played a knock of 16 runs in 25 balls. Kohli had a disappointing run of form in the T20I series against England, as he could manage only 12 runs in his two innings.

“I pointed this out in my last press conference, too: form goes up and down, that is part and parcel of any cricketer’s career. So, a player like him, who has played for so many years, who has made so many runs, who has won so many matches, for him, he only needs one or two good innings (to bounce back). That is my thinking and I am sure all those who follow cricket will think similarly,” he added.

Talking about early wickets tumble, Sharma said, “Know that when 5 or 6 wickets of the team fall, it is a little difficult to win. England covered a good today, they had 6 wickets for 150. After a good partnership, they made 246. It is a challenge for us as well that when our 5 or 6 wickets fall, then we also have to learn how to score runs. We need to focus on how we maintain our balance.”

India’s captain praised England’s batting order and said that their player can bat well even at the number 8 or 9 as in the match Three Lions lower order helped them to post a comfortable total against the visitors.

“In such games, the bowlers try their best to get wickets. But in England’s Batters order, you can bat up to 8 or 9 numbers. England’s batting order is longer than Numare’s, so this is what they benefit from,” he added.

Talking about the match, Reece Topley’s stunning six-wicket haul guided England to a mammoth 100 runs win over India in the second ODI of the three-match series, here at Lord’s on Thursday.

Topley took six, while David Willey, Brydon Carse, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone picked up one wicket each. For India, Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya scored the highest 29 runs respectively for the team.

Chasing 247, India stuttered at the start, losing both experienced batters Rohit Sharma (0) and Shikhar Dhawan (9) in the powerplay. Rishabh Pant then departed for a nought, while Virat Kohli continued his pile run with a calm 16 off 25 deliveries.

Kohli’s show was ended by David Willey. His wicket left India tottering at 31 for four before Suryakumar Yadav smashed 27 off 29 deliveries and Hardik Pandya played a knock of 29 from 44 balls to restore the innings.

Wickets continued to fall in Oval, with none of the visitors playing any significant knock. Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed in with a 44-ball 29 by Liam Livingstone. England bundled out India or 146 in the 39th over at the ‘Mecca of Cricket’. 

Eng vs Ind: Reece Topley Guides England To 100 Runs Win Over India

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 08:43 PM PDT

London [UK]: Reece Topley’s stunning six-wicket haul guided England to a mammoth 100 runs win over India in the second ODI of the three-match series, here at Lord’s on Thursday.

Topley took six, while David Willey, Brydon Carse, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone picked up one wicket each. For India, Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya scored the highest 29 runs respectively for the team. Chasing 247, India stuttered at the start, losing both experienced batters Rohit Sharma (0) and Shikhar Dhawan (9) in the powerplay. Rishabh Pant then departed for a nought, while Virat Kohli continued his pile run with a calm 16 off 25 deliveries.

Kohli’s show was ended by David Willey. His wicket left India tottering at 31 for four before Suryakumar Yadav smashed 27 off 29 deliveries and Hardik Pandya played a knock of 29 from 44 balls to restore the innings. Wickets continued to fall in Oval, with none of the visitors playing any significant knock. Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed in with a 44-ball 29 by Liam Livingstone. England bundled out India or 146 in the 39th over at the ‘Mecca of Cricket’.

Earlier, Yuzvendra Chahal’s amazing spell helped Team India restrict England at 246 in the first innings.

Chahal scalped four wickets while Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya took two and Mohammed Shami and Prasidh Krishna settled with one each. For England, Moeen Ali and David Willey were the picks among the batters as they scored 47 and 41 runs, respectively, to take their team to a decent total.

Put to bat first, England started off the proceedings at a decent rate with the opening batters Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow providing a strong stand. The duo smashed quick runs and took their team across the 40-run mark in 8 overs.

Hardik Pandya brought Team India their first breakthrough after he dismissed Roy, who was caught by Suryakumar Yadav and departed after scoring 23 runs off 33 balls. Joe Root walked into the crease and joined hands with Bairstow.

The pair of Root-Bairstow then stabilized the innings for some time as they stitched a 31-run partnership before Yuzvendra Chahal bowled Bairstow out at 38, leaving England’s total at 72/2 in 15 overs.

Ben Stokes was the new man in, who tried to stitch a partnership with Root but could not stand for long as the latter fell prey to Chahal’s spell and got LBW in the 18th over. Jos Buttler came to the crease but departed in the very next over after being bowled out by Mohammed Shami, with the team’s total at 87/4.

Liam Livingstone was the next man in as he tried to anchor the innings with Stokes. The duo then played a brief inning but their happiness was short-lived as Stokes was LBW by Chahal in the 22nd over and departed after scoring 21 runs.

Livingstone was then joined by Moeen Ali and the duo changed the momentum of the game. They stitched a 46-run partnership and brought England into the game. It was then in the 29th over, when Hardik Pandya sent Livingstone back to the dugout after he scored 33 runs and left England’s total at 148/6.

David Willey came to the crease with Moeen Ali and the duo continued with the carnage. They stitched a 60-run partnership and took England across the 200-run mark in 41 overs. Their reign finally came to an end after Chahal struck again and dismissed Moeen Ali in the 42nd over.

Craig Overton walked in with Willey and the duo played a brief inning before the latter was caught by Shreyas Iyer on Jasprit Bumrah’s delivery in the 47th over. With the team’s score at 237/8, Brydon Carse joined Overton at the crease but could not do much as he was LBW by Prasidh Krishna.

Reece Topley came as the last hope for the hosts but also departed in the very next over after being bowled out by Bumrah, which ended England’s innings at 246.
The visitors now need a total of 247 in 50 overs to claim a victory in the second ODI and clinch the three-match series.

Brief scores: England 246 (Moeen Ali 47, David Willey 41; Yuzvendra Chahal 4/47) vs India 146 (Hardik Pandya 29, Ravindra Jadeja 29; Reece Topley 6-24). 

Reply My SMS: Lalit Modi’s 9-year-Old Tweet To Sushmita Sen Goes Viral 

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 08:11 PM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Amid Sushmita Sen and Lalit Modi’s dating buzz, eagle-eyed netizens have dug up old posts from the latter’s Twitter handle where he had mentioned something or the other about the Miss Universe 1994.

A nine-year-old tweet of Lalit has been doing the rounds on the internet in which he tagged Sushmita and wrote, “reply my SMS.” In 2013, the former IPL Chairman shared a tweet in which he wrote, “Okay I commit “@thesushmitasen: @LalitKModi you are too kind.

However, promises are meant to be broken, commitments are honoured. Cheers love. Here is to 47.” Sushmita replied, “Gotcha 47,” to which Lalit responded, “Reply my SMS.”

Reacting to the duo’s Twitter conversion, a social media user wrote, “Quite surprising. “
“So basically it all started from here,” another one wrote.

A video of Lalit giving a speech at his daughter’s wedding Aliya has also surfaced online as netizens spotted Sushmita’s comment on the post.

“Awww!!! Heartfelt,” Sushmita had commented.

On Thursday, Lalit surprised everyone by announcing that he is in a relationship with Sushmita via a tweet. He also said that he intends to tie the knot soon.

Lalit posted several photos with Sushmita with the caption, “Just back in london after a whirling global tour #maldives # sardinia with the families – not to mention my #better looking partner @sushmitasen47 – a new beginning a new life finally. Over the moon.”

In another tweet, Lalit Modi clarified that he and Sushmita Sen aren’t married yet. He wrote, “Just for clarity. Not married – just dating each other. That too will happen one day.”

Lalit was previously married to Minal Sagrani, whom he married in October of 1991. They had two children together – son Ruchir and daughter Aliya.

Lalit is also a step father to Karima Sagrani, from Minal’s first marriage. Unfortunately, Minal lost her life to cancer in 2018.

On the other hand, Sushmita was in a relationship with model Rohman Shawl, whom she met through Instagram in 2018, but broke up with him last year. She is a mother of two adopted daughters Renee and Alisah.

Deepika Padukone’s Lookalike Sets Internet On Fire

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 08:04 PM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): It is usually believed that everybody has seven doppelgangers in the world and when it comes to celebrities it’s always interesting to see their lookalikes.

Currently, the internet has found a new doppelganger of actor Deepika Padukone and she is Rijuta Ghosh Deb. The pictures of Rijuta’s uncanny resemblance with the ‘Piku’ star have been doing the rounds on the internet, leaving everyone confused.
F

rom her nose to her eyes and even her hairstyle, Rijuta appears to share a sheer resemblance with Deepika, especially her look from her recent film ‘Gehraiyaan’.

‘Complete Dictatorship’: OPS On AIADMK Expelling OP Ravindranath

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 07:31 PM PDT

Chennai (Tamil Nadu): Reacting to AIADMK expelling Theni Lok Sabha MP OP Ravindranath, O Panneerselvam on Thursday said ‘removing Ravindranath is a complete dictatorship’.

“In the last General Election 2019, OP Ravindranath won and that is the only seat where AIADMK won. Removing Theni Lok Sabha MP is a complete dictatorship,” said O Pannerselvam, Expelled AIADMK leader and father of OP Ravindranath. O Panneerselvam, met his supporters, at his residence in Chennai on Thursday.

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday expelled 18 members of the party including the sons of O Panneerselvam from the primary membership.

All these 18 members are supporters of Panneerselvam. The two sons of OPS — O P Ravindhranath and V P Jayapradeep are Lok Sabha MP. The other heavyweight leaders who were sacked from the party include former minister Natarajan, Kolathur Krishnamoorthy and Marudhu Alaguraj.

Earlier on Wednesday, AIADMK appointed KP Munusamy and Natham Vishwanathan as deputy general secretaries. The party appointed Ponnaiyan as secretary for International MGR Forum and SP Velumani is appointed as Headquarters Secretary.

Further, Sellur Raju, Shanmugam, Dhanapal, Rajendra Balaji, Kadambur Raju and six others were appointed as organizing secretaries for the party.

The leadership tussle between O Paneerselvam (OPS) and Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) was underway for a long. Now EPS will hold a meeting with party MLAs on July 17, according to the sources.

The meeting will be held at the residence of EPS on Chennai’s Greenways Road.
Notably, EPS was elected as the party’s interim General Secretary at its General Council meeting held on Monday after the nod by the Madras High Court.

Earlier, the Madras HC rejected a plea by OPS and allowed the general council meeting, which proposes to revive the interim general secretary post and abolish coordinator as well as joint coordinator posts to be held.

The HC order was passed at 9 am and the GC meeting was led by E Palaniswami at the party office in Vanagaram, which was chaired by the presidium chairman A Tamil Mahan Hussain.

The meeting passed as many as 16 resolutions, including one that squashed dual-leadership and created the post of deputy general secretary and to ensure electing a person for the post by the primary members of the party. The party election will be conducted in four months.

The party general council chaired by presidium chairman A Tamil Mahan Hussain commenced after the court’s nod.

OPS supporter, Kolathur District Secretary, Krishnamurthy got hit by a stone thrown by EPS supporters at the party headquarters. The supporters of OPS and EPS also burnt posters and banners ahead of the meeting.

Meanwhile, a total of 16 resolutions were passed in the crucial AIADMK General Council meeting held on Monday in which Edappadi K Palaniswami was appointed as the party’s interim General Secretary and O Paneerselvam was expelled for “anti-party” activities.
Along with OPS, his supporters – JCD Prabhakar, R Vaithilingam and PH Manoj Pandian were also expelled from the AIADMK.

The party passed a resolution seeking a Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour for E V Ramasamy ‘Periyar’, MG Ramachandran (MGR) and the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

After the demise of Jayalalithaa in 2016, the party has been following a dual-leadership formula with EPS as co-coordinator and OPS as coordinator. The clamour has been growing louder for a single leader in the party since the district secretary meeting on June 14 this year. 

US Lawmakers Approve CAATSA Waiver For India

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 07:15 PM PDT

Washington [US]: The US House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation that recommend an India-specific waiver under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), thus deepening defence ties between both the democracies and help deter aggressors like China.

The House approved the measure, offered by Democratic Representative Congressman Ro Khanna, an Indian-American Congressman and a member of the House Armed Services Act, as an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by 330 to 99

However, this amendment is several steps from becoming law. After the House passage of the NDAA – the Senate must approve its version. Then lawmakers must reach a compromise version of the legislation, which authorizes more than $800 billion in defense spending, before voting again later this year.

This monumental amendment marks the most significant piece of legislation for US and India relations out of Congress since the US and India nuclear deal, according to a statement released by Khanna.

“The United States must stand with India in the face of escalating aggression from China. As Vice Chair of the India Caucus, I have been working to strengthen the partnership between our countries and ensure that India can defend itself along the Indian Chinese border,” said Rep. Khanna.

“This amendment is of the utmost importance, and I am proud to see it pass the House on a bipartisan basis.”

He said that the India-US partnership, rooted in shared democratic values, is critical in order to advance United States interests in the Indo-Pacific region; and this partnership between the world’s oldest and largest democracies is critical and must continue to be strengthened in response to increasing threats in the Indo-Pacific regions, sending an unequivocal signal that sovereignty and international law must be respected.

“The amendment is a good signal to the Biden administration on what the house thinks of CAATSA and India”, an analyst said

This amendment is the latest effort by members of Congress to underscore a strong defence partnership between India and the United States, highlighting China’s threat to India’s security.

Furthermore, in Khanna’s amendment, there is a section titled “Border Threats from China and reliance on Russian weapons”, which proposes that the Congress recognise that India faces “immediate and serious regional border threats from China, with incessant military aggression by the Government of China along the India-China border”.

It emphasized that the United States should take additional steps to encourage India to accelerate its transition off Russian-built weapons and defense systems while strongly supporting India’s immediate defense needs.

While addressing the House of Representatives, Khanna lauded the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET) which was announced during the Tokyo summit between President Joe Biden and President Narendra Modi as an essential step” to formulate closer ties between the two nations in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, aerospace and semiconductor manufacturing.

While India faces an immediate need to maintain its heavily Russian-built weapons systems, a waiver to sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act during this transition period is in the best interests of the United States and the United States-India defense partnership to deter aggressors in light of Russia and China’s close partnership.

Under the CAATSA, the US imposes sanctions on those countries that have “significant transactions with Iran, North Korea or Russia”.

India had inked the USD 5.43 billion deal with Russia for five squadrons of S-400s in October 2018. Although as per a top official under President Joe Biden’s administration earlier, the United States has not made a final decision on sanctions on India for its acquisition of the S-400 missile system from Russia under the CAATSA.

The American politician with Indian heritage pointed out that a strong United States-India defence partnership is rooted in shared democratic values and is critical in order to advance United States interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

US Reports Over 1,000 Monkeypox Cases

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 07:00 PM PDT

Los Angeles [US]: The United States had reported over 1,000 confirmed monkeypox cases in 43 states as of Wednesday, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

California had the most cases, with 161, followed by New York with 159 and Illinois with 152, CDC data showed. Over 132,000 doses of JYNNEOS, the vaccine licensed by the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration indicated for the prevention of smallpox and monkeypox, had been distributed nationwide as of Tuesday, according to the latest data of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

However, experts said monkeypox vaccines continue to be in short supply at the local level as cases grow.

ED Summons Ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey In NSE-Co Location Case

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 06:51 PM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Enforcement Directorate summoned former Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey today in NSE-co location case.

He has been asked to appear before them in Delhi for questioning in the illegal phone tapping of an NSE personnel matter. On July 9, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned Sanjay Pandey in connection with the illegal phone tapping of National Stock Exchange (NSE) employees.

On Friday, following the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), CBI registered a fresh case in the alleged NSE co-location scam that involves the phone tapping of NSE employees.

A senior CBI official informed that searches are underway across the country.

The fresh First Information Report (FIR) mentioned the names of former NSE Chief Chitra Ramakrishna, Ravi Narain and former Mumbai Commissioner Sanjay Pandey for allegedly tapping the phones of NSE officials and other irregularities.

According to a CBI official, it was said that Pandey was not reachable but he himself appeared for CBI’s interrogation.

Pandey is a 1986-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who retired from service on June 30.

During the investigation, it has been found that Pandey is closely related to the functioning and activities of a company called Isec Securities Pvt. Ltd.

The company had conducted a security audit of NSE around the time when alleged irregularities had taken place.

Isec Securities company was incorporated by Pandey in March 2001 and he quit as its director in May 2006. His son and mother took over the charge of the company.

It has been alleged that illegal phone tapping of NSE employees was done between 2009-17.

‘Words Used To Describe Modi-Govt Considered Unparliamentary’: Jairam Ramesh

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 06:36 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Taking a dig at the Centre over the new booklet listing out unparliamentary words and expressions, Rajya Sabha MP and Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said ‘all words used by the Opposition to describe the reality of Modi Sarkar now to be considered ‘unparliamentary’.

Taking to Twitter, he wrote, “All words used by the Opposition to describe the reality of Modi Sarkar now to be considered ‘unparliamentary’. What next Vishguru?” In another tweet, he wrote, “Clarification from @ombirlakota about ‘unparliamentary’ words doesn’t mean much. In all discussions, the media seems to have overlooked that they can’t report on these comments in their dispatches. Also, print media will have to think twice before using these words in their articles.”

Following the opposition’s criticism of the 50-page compilation of words deemed unfit for use in Parliament released by the Lok Sabha secretariat, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said that “no words have been banned.”

Earlier on Thursday, a major row erupted over a 50-page compilation of words deemed unfit for use in Parliament, ahead of the Monsoon session beginning July 18.

Earlier on Thursday, amid the row over the questioning of the Lok Sabha secretariat by the Opposition over words listed as “unparliamentary”, top sources in the Lower House said that such removal of words has been taking place since 1954 under various political dispensations.

Amid the row over the questioning of the Lok Sabha secretariat by the Opposition over words listed as “unparliamentary”, top sources in the Lower House on Thursday said that such removal of words has been taking place since 1954 under various political dispensations.

Earlier, several senior members of Parliament had criticized the report of the Lok Sabha Secretariat which had released a list of words that have been designated as “unparliamentary”.

Lok Sabha MP and West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and sought withdrawal of the new booklet listing out unparliamentary words and expressions.

The Congress leader also pointed out that this ‘sensitive matter’ should have been discussed in the Rules Committee, where all the political parties are represented.

“I wish to bring to your kind attention a matter of serious Parliamentary concern. The Lok Sabha Secretariat has come out with a new booklet regarding a list of wards deemed unparliamentary. The list includes words like ‘ashamed’, ‘abused’, ‘betrayed’, ‘corrupt’, ‘drama’, ‘hypocrisy’, ‘incompetent’,” wrote Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

“I would like to point out that there are so many common words used in our day-to-day conversation which have been included in the fresh list. If these words are taken out of the general vocabulary, the very essence and the impact of expression would be minimised.

Further, the Lok Sabha Secretariat should have mentioned the substitutes for these banned words so that it would have been easier for all of us to use the substitutes,” he added.
“I may also like to point out that sensitive matter should have been discussed in the Rules Committee where all the political parties are represented. None of the political parties have been consulted on this sensitive matter,” he said.

He further requested the Lok Sabha Speaker to put this latest list of unparliamentary words in abeyance and asked the final list to be prepared in consultation with all political parties.
Following the opposition’s criticism of the 50-page compilation of words deemed unfit for use in Parliament released by the Lok Sabha secretariat, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said that “no words have been banned.”

Earlier on Thursday, amid the row over the questioning of the Lok Sabha secretariat by the Opposition over words listed as “unparliamentary”, top sources in the Lower House said that such removal of words has been taking place since 1954 under various political dispensations.

Taking a dig at the Centre, Aam Admi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Thursday said it is good to know that the Government of India knows “adjectives that accurately describe its performance”.

He said that the Government of India is fearful of the truth and that words like ‘jumlajeevi’ became unparliamentary while ‘andolanjeevi’ remains there.Amid the row over the questioning of the Lok Sabha secretariat by the Opposition over words listed as “unparliamentary”, top sources in the Lower House on Thursday said that such removal of words has been taking place since 1954 under various political dispensations.

Italian President Rejects PM Mario Draghi’s Resignation

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 06:26 PM PDT

Rome [Italy]: Italian President, Sergio Mattarella rejected the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Draghi and asked him to address parliament to get a clear picture of the political situation.

Draghi decided to formally resign after the second largest force in his coalition, the Five Star Movement (M5S) boycotted a confidence vote on the government’s relief bill to combat soaring prices in the Senate.

In an official statement after their meeting at the Quirinale Palace, Mattarella’s office said that “the president has not accepted the resignation,” Xinhua reported. Mattarella has invited Draghi “to appear before Parliament for communications, in order to have an assessment of the situation … in its proper forum,” the statement specified.

According to Xinhua, Draghi is now expected to address the lower house and the Senate next Wednesday, according to the local media as the crisis broke out after weeks of tensions mounting within the broad coalition supporting Draghi’s national unity government which was formed in February 2021.

After the M5S refused to take part in the confidence vote on Thursday, Draghi gathered the cabinet and formally announced to his ministers that he would resign, saying the majority that had supported the government from its creation does not exist anymore.

Draghi handed over his resignation to Italian President Sergio Mattarella late on Thursday, saying that the defection of key lawmakers from a confidence vote on a relief bill to help Italians deal with soaring energy prices earlier in the day convinced him he no longer had support to govern effectively.

“From my inauguration speech in parliament I always said I would only go on if there was a clear prospect of implementing government programs,” Draghi said, adding that these conditions no longer exist.

Notably, Italy is facing a worsening economic situation caused in part by rising energy costs.

Italian Prime Minister on Tuesday said that he plans to announce a series of measures aimed to reduce the impacts of the worsening economic situation caused in part by rising energy costs. 

PM Modi Constantly Monitoring Flood Situation In Gujarat

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 06:19 PM PDT

Gandhinagar (Gujarat): Amid the flood situation in Gujarat following heavy rainfall, state BJP President CR Paatil on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are constantly monitoring the situation in the rain-battered state.

Two Air Force Choppers and NDRF team will start rescue operations on Friday morning in the state, informed Gujarat state BJP President CR Paatil. Paatil tweeted, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are constantly monitoring the condition in Gujarat. And added that on the request Amit Shah has arranged for two Air Force Shoppers and NDRF team which will start the rescue operations in the state from tomorrow morning.”

PM Modi is constantly keeping an eye on the situation in Gujarat after excessive rainfall and has also given telephonic instructions for tackling the situation, Paatil added.

Paatil also added that Union Minister Amit Shah has also told him to contact him even during mid-night in case of any emergency.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has been constantly monitoring the situation of the flood-affected areas of the rain-battered state.

Heavy rains in several areas of Gujarat since the last few days brought life to a standstill. While residents of low-lying areas have been shifted to safer places, those stranded at home due to waterlogging have been provided with relief material.

The Chief Minister visited the state control room on Thursday night to take stock of the situation, especially in the Navsari district. He later spoke with the Collectors of Navsari and Valsad via video conferencing and sought details of the relief work and rescue operation.

He took detailed information on moving people to safer places, opening up of roads and highways, and regarding the work being done by the NDRF, stated the state government.

Locals of Golvad and Fadvel village near Kaveri river in Navsari District were trapped due to flash floods on banks of river Kaveri.

Several parts of Ahmedabad face waterlogging as rainfall continues to lash the city. There was waterlogging in Vejalpur and Shrinand Nagar in Ahemdabad.

Amid the prevailing flood-like situations in the Valsad district of Gujarat, the police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have relocated at least 350 people to safer places from the low-lying areas of the district, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Nilesh Kukadia said on Wednesday.

“Since the water level is rising here, we have appealed to the people to move on to safer places…We have also availed the people with the shelter homes facility,” SDM Kukadia said.


A massive amount of water was released from the Madhuban dam on Daman Ganga river in Valsad district as the region continues to remain battered by heavy rainfall.

The Coast Guard on Thursday rescued two women and a child trapped in the Toran village of Navsari after heavy rainfall.

Many parts of Gujarat have been facing incessant rainfall which has caused a flood-like situation in the area.

According to ICG, the woman and the child were immediately taken into the aircraft and evacuated to a safe location.

Earlier on Tuesday, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the flood-affected areas of Navsari and met the victims.

On the other hand, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also assured all possible help to Gujarat Chief Minister Patel as heavy rains caused flood-like situations in the state’s various areas.

Gujarat administration, State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are engaged in providing quick help to the affected people, the Home Minister further said.

The Meteorological department said that Gujarat’s situation is due to flash floods. The state received 18 inches of rainfall in just four hours. People are now struggling to procure even essential items.

EPS Expels 18 AIADMK Members Including OPS Sons

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 06:12 PM PDT

Chennai (Tamil Nadu): The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday expelled 18 members of the party including the sons of O Panneerselvam from the primary membership.

Al these 18 members are supporters of Panneerselvam. The two sons of OPS — O P Ravindhranath and V P Jayapradeep are Lok Sabha MP. The other heavyweight leaders who were sacked from the party include former minister Natarajan, Kolathur Krishnamoorthy and Marudhu Alaguraj.

Earlier on Wednesday, AIADMK appointed KP Munusamy and Natham Vishwanathan as deputy general secretaries. The party appointed Ponnaiyan as secretary for International MGR Forum and SP Velumani is appointed as Headquarters Secretary.

Further, Sellur Raju, Shanmugam, Dhanapal, Rajendra Balaji, Kadambur Raju and six others were appointed as organizing secretaries for the party.

The leadership tussle between O Paneerselvam (OPS) and Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) was underway for a long.

Now EPS will hold a meeting with party MLAs on July 17, according to the sources.
The meeting will be held at the residence of EPS on Chennai’s Greenways Road.

Notably, EPS was elected as the party’s interim General Secretary at its General Council meeting held on Monday after the nod by the Madras High Court.

Earlier, the Madras HC rejected a plea by OPS and allowed the general council meeting, which proposes to revive the interim general secretary post and abolish coordinator as well as joint coordinator posts to be held.

The HC order was passed at 9 am and the GC meeting led by E Palaniswami at the party office in Vanagaram, which was chaired by the presidium chairman A Tamil Mahan Hussain.
The meeting passed as many as 16 resolutions, including one that squashed dual-leadership and created the post of deputy general secretary and to ensure electing a person for the post by the primary members of the party. The party election will be conducted in four months.

The party general council chaired by presidium chairman A Tamil Mahan Hussain commenced after the court’s nod.

OPS supporter, Kolathur District Secretary, Krishnamurthy got hit by a stone thrown by EPS supporters at the party headquarters. The supporters of OPS and EPS also burnt posters and banners ahead of the meeting.

Meanwhile, a total of 16 resolutions were passed in the crucial AIADMK General Council meeting held on Monday in which Edappadi K Palaniswami was appointed as the party’s interim General Secretary and O Paneerselvam was expelled for “anti-party” activities.
Along with OPS, his supporters – JCD Prabhakar, R Vaithilingam and PH Manoj Pandian were also expelled from the AIADMK.

The party passed a resolution seeking a Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour for E V Ramasamy ‘Periyar’, MG Ramachandran (MGR) and the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

After the demise of Jayalalithaa in 2016, the party has been following a dual-leadership formula with EPS as co-coordinator and OPS as coordinator. The clamour has been growing louder for a single leader in the party since the district secretary meeting on June 14 this year.

Ripudaman Singh Malik, Acquitted In 1985 Air India Bombing, Shot Dead In Canada

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 06:01 PM PDT

Surrey [Canada]: Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was acquitted in the 1985 Air India terrorist bombing, was shot dead in Surrey in Canada’s British Columbia province on Thursday morning.

Confirming the news, Jaspal Singh, Brother-in-Law of Malik told ANI, “We are uncertain about who killed Ripudaman. His younger sister is on her way to Canada.” Malik was one of the persons who was accused of playing a crucial role in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 Kanishka.

A bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182 “Kanishka” from Canada off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985, killing 329 passengers and crew. This included over 280 Canadian citizens including 29 entire families and 86 children under the age of 12.

Ripudaman Malik was allegedly associated with Babbar Khalsa, a terrorist outfit responsible for many terrorist incidents in Punjab and was also a close associate of Talwinder Singh Parmar, the alleged mastermind of the Air India bombing.

Babbar Khalsa, an international terrorist organisation and banned by several countries including the US, Canada and India.

Malik and his co-accused, Ajaib Singh Bagri, were acquitted in 2005 of mass murder and conspiracy charges. Notably, Malik spent four years in prison before his acquittal and later asked for USD 9.2 million as legal fees, however, a British Columbia judge rejected his claims for compensation.

The terrorist bombing of the AI Flight 182 remains the worst terrorist attack on Canada to date.

The majority of the victims were Canadians, and the bombing was the result of a conspiracy conceived, planned and executed in Canada.

Italy Prime Minister Draghi Announces Resignation

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 05:41 PM PDT

Rome [Italy]: Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Thursday that he would resign as the country’s premier after a party in his ruling coalition did not participate in a confidence vote.

“I want to announce to you that this evening I will hand over to the President of the Republic a letter of resignation,” the press service of the government’s Chigi Palace quoted him as saying, according to Sputnik News Agency. On Thursday, senators from one of the biggest parties in Draghi’s coalition — the Five Star Movement — abstained from a confidence motion, a stunt that throws Italy’s government into crisis and could even lead to its collapse, The Washington Post reported.

“Today’s vote in parliament is a very significant event from a political point of view,” Draghi said.

Though the government survived — by 172 to 39 — Draghi, according to The New York Times, had made clear that he would not lead a unity government that had no unity.
According to multiple reports, he is now expected to meet with the country’s president, Sergio Mattarella, to discuss next steps.

Italy is facing a worsening economic situation caused in part by rising energy costs.
Italian Prime Minister on Tuesday said that he plans to announce a series of measures aimed to reduce the impacts of the worsening economic situation caused in part by rising energy costs.

Draghi downplayed the economic challenges when talking to the Foreign Press Association later on Tuesday, saying the government’s balance sheets were “very strong” and that despite recent difficulties, “Italy remains a strong country”, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Millions Of Australians Could Catch COVID-19 Over Coming Weeks

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 05:32 PM PDT

Canberra [Australia]: Australia’s Health Minister Mark Butler has warned that “millions” of people could get infected with coronavirus in the coming weeks amid a winter surge.

Butler recently asked the Australians to wear masks and work from home when needed to mitigate the impact of a wave of BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariant infections. There were 316,574 active COVID-19 cases in Australia by Wednesday — a figure Butler said could increase within weeks.

“I think this is a very concerning wave. This is the third wave just this year that Omicron has thrown at Australia,” he said on the TV program Sunrise on Wednesday.

“It’s likely over coming weeks that some millions of Australians will catch COVID-19, some of them catching it again after perhaps having caught it earlier this year.”

Butler said employers had been asked by chief health officers to think about whether their business can deal with a short period of working from home arrangements.

“People are strongly encouraged in indoor crowded spaces to wear a mask because we know it will cut transmission and cut the number of cases,” he said.

On Thursday, Australia reported more than 35,000 new COVID-19 infections and more than 70 deaths.

According to government data published by the Guardian Australia on Thursday, 91 deaths were reported by aged care providers in the week ending July 8, up from 58 the week prior, and well above the weekly average of 69 since the beginning of March, when the last Omicron wave ended.

More than 2,000 aged care residents have died from COVID-19 in 2022 — more than twice as many as the 917 in 2020 and 2021 combined.

As of Wednesday afternoon, a total of 8,596,145 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Australia, including 10,437 deaths, according to the latest figures from the Department of Health.

There were 4,477 coronavirus patients being treated in Australian hospitals on Wednesday, up from 3,781 a week earlier. 

Canada To Resume COVID-19 Mandatory Random Testing For Air Travellers

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 05:22 PM PDT

Ottawa [Canada]: Canada will resume COVID-19 mandatory random testing for travellers who qualify as fully vaccinated, arriving in the country by air to four major airports: Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto, as of July 19, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) announced Thursday.

According to the PHAC, all testing for air travellers, for both those who qualify as fully and partially vaccinated or unvaccinated, will be completed outside of airports, either via an in-person appointment at select testing provider locations and pharmacies, or a virtual appointment for a self-swab test. Travellers who do not qualify as fully vaccinated, unless exempt, continue to test on Day 1 and Day 8 of their mandatory 14-day quarantine.

If the arrival test result is positive, a 10-day isolation is required, the PHAC said.

Moving testing outside of airports will support testing for travellers arriving by air while still being able to monitor and quickly respond to new variants of concern, or changes to the epidemiological situation, the PHAC said, adding that mandatory random testing continues at land border points of entry, with no changes.

Canada paused mandatory random testing for those entering Canada by air on June 11, as part of a broader strategy to transition testing for air travellers outside of the airports.

Pakistan Govt Reduces Petrol, Diesel Prices As Global Oil Rates Slump

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 05:12 PM PDT

Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday announced a reduction in the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs 18.50 and Rs 40.54 per litre as crude oil rates in the international market fell sharply.

Pakistan is in economic turmoil as its foreign debts are rising while foreign exchange reserves are depleting and the drastic situation raises concern over Pakistan’s economic challenges getting deeper. The government had increased the prices of petrol after coming into power as it had no other option due to a crunch in foreign currency reserves and high prices in global markets, The News International reported, quoting Shehbaz as saying.

The government, however now decided to reduce the price of petrol and diesel by Rs 18.50 and Rs 40.54 per litre due to the decline in prices in the international market
The new price of petrol will be Rs 230.24 per litre while diesel will be available at Rs 236 per litre.

Pakistan’s external debt servicing rose to USD 10.886 billion in the first three quarters of 2021-22 compared to USD 13.38 billion in the entire FY21.

The external debt servicing was just USD 1.653 billion in 1QFY22 against USD 3.51 billion in the first quarter of 2020-21. However, the debt servicing jumped to USD 4.357 billion in 2QFY22 and further to USD 4.875 billion in 3QFY22.

Pakistan has been facing a serious threat on the external front as the State Bank of Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves fell to single digits despite a USD 2.3 billion inflow from China late last month.

The increasing size of the external debt servicing in each quarter indicates the government has been borrowing dollars at higher commercial rates to meet its foreign debt repayment obligations, reported Dawn.

The economic slowdown is taking a toll on Pakistan’s job market as some sectors reported layoffs.

ED Gets 4-Day Remand Of Former NSE CEO Chitra Ramkrishna

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 06:48 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday arrested Chitra Ramkrishna, former MD and CEO of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in a money laundering case relating to alleged illegal phone tapping and snooping of employees of the stock exchange.

ED on Wednesday moved Court for production of Chitra Ramakrishna as she is presently in judicial custody in a CBI case. After her production in Court today, ED arrested the accused after conducting her interrogation after taking permission from the court.

Later Special Judge Sunaina Sharma also sent her to four days ED Remand. Special Public Prosecutor Naveen Kumar Matta appeared for the Enforcement Directorate in the matter.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently also registered a fresh FIR in the NSE Co-Location Case over allegations of phone tapping.

Following the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) last week registered a fresh case in an alleged National Stock Exchange (NSE) co-location scam that involves phone tapping of NSE employees.

The fresh FIR mentioed the names of former NSE Chief Chitra Ramakrishna, Ravi Narain and former Mumbai Commissioner Sanjay Pandey for allegedly tapping phones of NSE officials and other irregularities. Pandey is a 1986-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who retired from service on June 30.

During the investigation, it has been found that Pandey is closely related to the functioning and activities of a company called iSec Securities Pvt. Ltd. The company had conducted a security audit of NSE around the time the alleged co-location irregularities have taken place. The company was incorporated by Pandey in March 2001 and he quit as its director in May 2006. His son and mother took over the charge of the company.

It has been alleged that illegal phone tapping of NSE employees was done between 2009-17. 

IT Dept Raids Cong MLA Sanjay Sharma’s Premises

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 05:17 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Income Tax department is conducting search operations at premises linked to Congress MLA Sanjay Sharma, sources said on Thursday.

Search operations are going at Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur, Narsinghpur and Katni, Maharashtra’s Mumbai. The search action covered around 44 premises spread across States. Search operations are underway at sugar mill, Residence and other premises linked to MLA.

“During the course of the search operations, substantial incriminating evidence, in the form of documents and digital data, has been found and seized,” sources said.

Congress MLA from Tendukheda, Sanjay Sharma jumped ship from BJP to Congress in 2018. He was an MLA from 2013-18 from the same constituency, representing BJP. He reportedly has major stakes in mining, liquor and hotel businesses and is considered to be among the richest politicians in Madhya Pradesh.

The Congress MLA reportedly has major enterprises in the sand and liquor sectors in Narsinghpur, Tendukheda, Jabalpur and Katni. Reportedly, the Jabalpur mining department recently allocated a major sand mining contract to Sharma.

Delhi HC Dismisses Plea For NEET-UG Postponement, Finds No Merit

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 05:02 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by 15 medical aspirants seeking direction to the Centre, National Testing Agency (NTA) and others to postpone the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) scheduled to be held on July 17.

The bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula on Thursday while dismissing the petition found no merit in it and called it a completely misconceived petition. The petition sought direction to the respondents to set aside the July 17 examination schedule of NEET-UG 2022 as mentioned in a notification dated April 6, 2022, in this regard.

The petitioners stated that due to heavy rains and flood situations in various parts of the country, it is difficult for the students to travel hundreds of kilometres.

“Direct the respondents to conduct NEET-UG 2022 phase 2 for the academic sessions 2022 considering the huge distance of examination centre, which ranges between 150 km to 300 km for a thousand of students during the current grave situation caused by flood across the nation,” the plea stated.

It has been also stated that last year the exam was held on September 12 and the results were announced on November 1. This year, the notification for the exam was released on April 6 which is about 100 days prior to the exam, which has created stress and anxiety among the students.

The plea also sought direction to respondents to issue a fresh notification rescheduling date of the NEET-UG 2022 examination after considering the grievances raised by the students through their representation dated May 12 and July 8.

Punjab Police Gets Transit Remand Of Two Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Shooters

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 04:36 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Patiala House Court on Thursday granted one-day transit remand of Lawrence Bishnoi gang shooters Ankit Sersa and Sachin Chaudhary to Punjab police in connection with the murder case of singer Sidhu Moose Wala.

Moose Wala was shot dead by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in Mansa, Punjab on May 29. Chief metropolitan magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria granted the transit remand of Ankit Sersa and Sachin Chaudhary to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Mansa Police for investigating the murder. They will be produced before Mansa court on Friday.

They were produced before the Court after the custody of the Delhi Police ended. They were arrested by Delhi Police in an Arms Act case.

Punjab police, while seeking permission to arrest the accused persons, submitted that these two accused directly participated in the murder of Moose Wala. Their arrest warrant has been issued by Mansa Court and custody is required for its further investigation.

On the other hand, advocate Vishal Chopra raised the issue of the safety and security of the accused persons.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Police submitted that it has taken appropriate measures for the security of the accused persons during transit remand. The Police team comprising 36 armed police personnel and six vehicles for transit are heading from Delhi to Mansa. The transit shall be video-graphed.

After hearing the submission, the court granted permission to arrest the accused in court and thereafter granted one-day transit remand in the case.

Delhi court had granted the custody of Lawrence Bishnoi and Jagdeep Bhagwanpuria. Another court has allowed Punjab police to arrest Priyvrat, Kashish, Keshav and Deepak alias Teenu in connection with the case of the alleged murder of Sidhu Moose wala.

Delhi Police Files Chargesheet In Rohini Court In Jahangirpuri Violence Case

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 04:27 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Delhi Police Crime Branch on Thursday filed a chargesheet in a Rohini court in connection with the Jahangirpuri violence that took place on April 16.

In the chargesheet, Delhi Police has named 37 arrested accused in the case and besides them, two juveniles are also mentioned in the chargesheet. Delhi’s Rohini court has set July 28 for consideration of the chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police Crime Branch pertaining to the Jahangirpuri riots.

Delhi Police has filed chargesheet under various which including Section 307 (attempt to murder), Section 120 B (criminal conspiracy), Section 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), Section 186 IPC (voluntarily obstructs any public servant in the discharge of his public functions), Section 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) Section 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), Section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) Section 436 (Mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house) Section 147 (Punishment for rioting), Section 148 (Rioting, armed with a deadly weapon) Section 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of the offence committed in prosecution of common object) and Section 427 (Mischief causing damage) of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) and under various provisions of Arms Act.

According to sources, of 39 people who were mentioned in the chargesheet, 30 are Muslims while seven of them are Hindus.

The sources said that Delhi Police will file a separate chargesheet before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) against minor offenders.

Mohammad Ansar and Tabrez Ansari have been named as the main conspirators, as per sources.

According to sources, Tabrez was the person who had posed as a member of the person of Aman Committee formed after the Jahangirpuri violence and was also seen attending peace meetings with senior police officers.

A Delhi Police team had also gone to West Bengal to question some of Ansar’s relatives in East Midnapore.

The third main conspirator Delhi Police have named who was behind the riots is Ishrafil, who is still at large.

Apart from this, the chargesheet names three persons who have been declared proclaimed offenders by the court and are absconding. Non-bailable warrants have also been issued against some absconders.

The chargesheet reveals that the accused people had done planning in advance on April 10 to incite violence on April 16, on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.

The sources said that as part of the planning, bricks and bottles were stashed on some rooftops. Some swords and pistols, a total of 15, that were used in the riots were also seized from the arrested persons.

Police have made these claims based on more than 2,300 CCTV and mobile recorded footage of the violence along with WhatsApp chats and call detail records.

Kevin Spacey Pleads Not Guilty To Sexual Assault Charges In UK court

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 03:57 AM PDT

London [U.K]: Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey on Thursday morning arrived at London’s famed Old Bailey court and pleaded not guilty to sexual assault charges.

According to Deadline, the ‘American Beauty’ actor was charged with five sexual assault charges in June 2022 by the Metropolitan police. The alleged historical offences cover a period of 2005-2013 in London and the county of Gloucester and were against three men all now aged in their 30s and 40s. Media gathered around the ‘House of Cards’ actor after he arrived at the court. He donned a baby blue suit, cream shirt and blue spotted tie and was immediately ushered into a meeting room with his legal representatives.

On June 16, Spacey was granted bail by the court. He had been interviewed under caution by police before the charges were brought, but had said he would “voluntarily” appear in UK court to prove his innocence, Deadline reported.

He has been charged with four counts of sexual assault in the U.K. against three men between 2005 and 2013. He was also charged with “causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.”

Meanwhile, Channel 4 is currently working on a special documentary series following Spacey’s legal proceedings and his life beyond the courts, Deadline reported. 

Huge Cache Of Guns Seized From Couple Arriving From Vietnam

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 03:55 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Customs department at Indira Gandhi International airport on Wednesday arrested an Indian couple who had arrived from Vietnam and seized at least 45 guns worth more than Rs 22 lakh from their bags.


According to the Commissioner of Customs, the accused couple admitted their previous involvement in the smuggling of 25 guns having a value of more than Rs 12 lakh.

“An Indian couple that arrived from Vietnam was nabbed and 45 guns worth over Rs 22 lakh from two trolley bags seized. They admitted their previous indulgence in smuggling 25 pieces of guns having a value of over Rs 12 lakh,” the Commissioner of Customs, Indira Gandhi International Airport and General said on Wednesday.


While the National Security Guard (NSG) has confirmed the functionality of the seized guns in a preliminary report, the Customs said that a ballistic report will confirm whether they are genuine.


Further investigation is underway. 

Uttarakhand Expects Over 5 Crore Pilgrims During Kanwar Yatra

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 03:46 AM PDT

Champawat (Uttarakhand): Expecting a footfall of more than 5 crore pilgrims during the holy month of Shravan, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday assured that all arrangements for a safe Kanwar Yatra have been made by the state administration.

“We have made all the arrangements regarding the smooth conduct and safety during the Kanwar Yatra. We appeal to them to follow the rules made by the administration,” Dhami said. “This time, we expect more than 5 crore in Kanwar Yatra. No matter how many Lord Shiva devotees come, everyone is welcome.”

Uttarakhand administration on Wednesday announced that pilgrims with swords, tridents and other such harmful objects will not be allowed during the Kanwar Yatra.

The administration also gave instructions to the police station and outposts in-charges to seize these materials at the district border.

“There will be a ban on bringing swords, tridents, and sticks in the Kanwar Yatra starting from tomorrow. All the station and outpost in-charges have been instructed to seize them at the district borders,” Janmejay Khanduri, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Dehradun said.

The ‘Kanwar Yatra’ is an annual pilgrimage of Lord Shiva’s devotees that started Thursday. The Kanwariyas (pilgrims) visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy water of River Ganga. They then worship God with the same water.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Kanwar Yatra in 2021 was cancelled in Uttarakhand and entry at ‘Har ki Pauri’ was also restricted.

Thursday also marks the onset of the holy month of ‘Sawan’ (Shravan), which is considered to be the most auspicious month of the year.

The month holds great significance for devotees of Lord Shiva, who considered the Supreme Lord, the creator, protector, and destroyer of the universe, according to Hindu religious beliefs.

During the month of Shravan, the devotees observe fasts on Mondays which are considered to be particularly auspicious days of the month. Lord Shiva is worshipped on Mondays throughout the year and the Mondays of this month are especially significant with the whole month being dedicated to the lord. The festival is celebrated predominantly in north India.

This year Sawan started on July 14 and will end on August 12. Four Mondays fall during this period- July 18, July 25, August 1, and August 8. 

Assam: Woman Dies After In-Laws Allegedly Force Her To Consume Acid

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 03:18 AM PDT

Karimganj (Assam): In a shocking incident, a woman died after being allegedly forced to drink acid by her in-laws in Assam’s Karimganj district, police said on Thursday.


The incident took place in the Bhairabnagar area under the Ratabari assembly constituency in the Karimganj district.


The woman allegedly died after being forced to consume acid by her husband and in-laws.
The deceased has been identified as Sumna Begum. Following the incident, the accused husband, identified as Shakeel Ahmed, was arrested by the police.


Padmanabh Baruah, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Karimganj district said that as per a complaint lodged by the family members of the deceased, she was physically and mentally tortured by her husband and in-laws for the last few days.


“The woman was taken to the hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. We have arrested her husband and registered a case,” Baruah said.

Maha CM Slashes Petrol, Diesel Prices By Rs 5, Rs 3 Respectively

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 03:12 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): The new Maharashtra government on Thursday announced a reduction in fuel prices slashing prices of petrol by Rs.5 per litre and diesel by Rs.3 per litre.


The announcement was made by chief minister Eknath Shinde after a Cabinet meeting which saw participation by Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis along with several officials as attendees. The newly sworn in chief minister had earlier said that the government’s plans to reduce VAT soon.


“A decision to reduce VAT on fuel will be taken soon to provide relief to the people of the state,” tweeted Shinde on July 4.


Along with slashing the fuel prices the cabinet also decided to implement “Swachh Maharashtra Abhiyan (Citizen) 2.0 Abhiyan” in the state.


“Centrally sponsored Amrit Abhiyan 2.0 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation to be implemented in the state”, tweeted Maharashtra DGIPR.


Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis called the decision a big relief on a micro-blogging site.


“Great relief to Maharashtrian and Marathi Manus! Happy to announce that the new Government under CM Eknathrao Shinde has decided to reduce Petrol and Diesel prices by Rs5/litre & Rs3/litre respectively,” tweeted Fanavis.


Highlighting that the decision will benefit the general masses, Fadnavis added, “This is our step towards the appeal made by Hon PM for the benefits to common citizens. The state will carry a burden of Rs. 6000 crore for this decision.”


Earlier Kerala, Rajasthan, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh had reduced the value added tax on petrol and diesel for the benefit of the common man and now Maharashtra’s added to the list.


The move comes nearly two months after the Central government decided to cut excise duty on petrol by Rs 8 per litre and on diesel by Rs 6 per litre. 

Pakistan, IMF Reach Agreement On $ 6 Bn EFF Loan

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 02:31 AM PDT

Islamabad [Pakistan]: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that it had reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistan on the combined seventh and eighth reviews for a USD 6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) loan.


“The immediate priority is to stabilise the economy through the steadfast implementation of the recently approved budget for FY23, continued adherence to a market-determined exchange rate, and a proactive and prudent monetary policy,” a statement issued by the IMF said.

“It is important to expand social safety to protect the most vulnerable, and accelerate structural reforms including to improve the performance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and governance,” it added.


The discussion was finalised by an IMF team led by Nathan Porter and the agreement is subject to approval by the IMF’s Executive Board.


“About USD 1,177 million (SDR 894 million) will become available, bringing total disbursements under the program to about USD 4.2 billion,” Porter said through the statement.


The SDR is an international reserve asset, created by the IMF in 1969 to supplement its member countries’ official reserves.


“Pakistan is at a challenging economic juncture. A difficult external environment combined with pro-cyclical domestic policies fuelled domestic demand to unsustainable levels. The resultant economic overheating led to large fiscal and external deficits in FY22, contributed to rising inflation, and eroded reserve buffers,” it read.


An extension of the EFF until the end of June 2023 and an augmentation of access by SDR 720 million bringing the total access to about US$7 billion will be considered by the IMF board in order to support program implementation and meet the higher financing needs in FY23, as well as catalyse additional financing.


The implementation of the outlined policies will help create the conditions for sustainable and more inclusive growth.


Due to the existing elevated uncertainty in the global economy and financial markets, the IMF staff wants the Pakistani authorities stand ready to take any additional measures necessary to meet the objectives of the program.


“The agreement with the Fund has set the stage to bring [the] country out of economic difficulties,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said as quoted by the Dawn newspaper.


On the fiscal side, there have been deviations from the policies agreed upon in the last review, partly reflecting the fuel and power subsidies announced by the authorities in February.

The team emphasised the urgency of concrete policy actions, including in the context of removing fuel and energy subsidies and the fiscal year 2023 budget, to achieve program objectives.


The IMF team is looking forward to continuing its dialogue and close engagement with Pakistan’s government on policies to ensure macroeconomic stability for the benefit of all of Pakistan’s citizens, reported Business Recorder. 

Hathras Court Sends Mohd Zubair To 14-Day Judicial Custody

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 02:25 AM PDT

Hathras (Uttar Pradesh): The Hathras court on Thursday sent Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair to 14-day judicial custody after two cases were registered against him in the district on July 4.


The case was registered by Deepak Sharma for Zubair’s remarks on Hindu Gods and Goddesses in a tweet in 2018.

The security in the area was beefed up near the court area, thereafter Zubair was produced in CJM Shivakumari Court.


The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the interim bail granted to the fact-checking website Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair in the case registered against him by Uttar Pradesh Police in Sitapur.


A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna posted the matter for hearing on September 7 and also granted four weeks to the Uttar Pradesh government to file a response on Zubair’s plea.


Zubair has challenged the Allahabad High Court order refusing to quash an FIR registered against him by Uttar Pradesh police in Sitapur for a tweet in which he allegedly called three Hindu seers ‘hate mongers’.


Last week, the apex court granted interim bail for five days to Zubair in the FIR registered against him in Sitapur.


The Supreme Court was hearing Zubair’s plea seeking protection from arrest and challenging the Allahabad High Court order refusing to quash FIR registered for a tweet for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

Kohli, Bumrah Not Included In T20I Series Squad Against West Indies

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 02:24 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): The All-India Senior Selection Committee on Thursday picked the squad for the five-match T20I series against the West Indies.

Senior players like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah have not been included in the squad. Kohli sustained a mild groin strain before the first ODI against England.

Meanwhile, veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has made his return.

Also, KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav return to the squad, but their inclusion is subject to their fitness.

India’s squad for 5 T20Is: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul*, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav*, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.

West Indies will host the Men in Blue for a three-match ODI series and a five-match T20i series from July 22 to August 7.

Growth In Developing Economies To Halve In 2022: World Bank

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 02:21 AM PDT

Washington [US)]: The growth in emerging and developing economies is expected to roughly halve to 3.4 per cent in 2022 in comparison to 6.6 per cent the previous year, as the spillover effects led by the Russian invasion of Ukraine has adversely affected these nations, the World Bank said in its latest report titled ‘Global Economic Prospects’.


At 3.4 per cent, these economies will be well below their average growth of 4.8 per cent during 2011-19.

“The slowdown in part reflects the spillovers from the war in Ukraine, which have led to commodity price volatility, higher input costs, trade disruptions, and weaker confidence. These spillovers are also magnifying the effects of preexisting headwinds to growth, including rising inflationary pressures, tightening financial conditions, continued withdrawal of macroeconomic policy support, and softening external demand,” the report said.


Since households in the emerging economies devote a relatively large proportion of their spending to basic necessities, the war’s impact on food and energy prices is also weighing mark on their consumption, it added.


“This is especially true among commodity importers, whereas energy exporters are benefitting from higher global energy prices and easing oil production cuts,” the report added.


Notably, consumer inflation has climbed higher around the world and is above central bank targets in most countries. In the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the risk of stagflation–a combination of high inflation and sluggish growth–has also risen.


Taking these factors into consideration, the growth in India is expected at 7.5 percent in the financial year 2022-23, which is a 1.2 percentage points downward revision from its January projections.


In 2023-24, the growth is expected to slow down even further to 7.1 per cent, it added.


In the South Asia region excluding India, GDP growth, after peaking at 5.7 percent in the financial year 2021-22, is now projected to slow down to 4.0 percent in 2022-23. 

Singapore Open: Saina Nehwal And Arjun-Kapila Duo Advance To Qtr Finals

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 01:57 AM PDT

Singapore [Singapore]: Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal advanced to the quarterfinals of the ongoing Singapore Open 2022, defeating China’s He Bingjiao in the second round of the women’s singles category.

Nehwal defeated her Chinese counterpart by 21-19, 11-21, 21-17. She was off to a good start and won her first game. But Bingjio defeated her by a huge margin in the second game. Nehwal prevailed in the closely-contested decider, booking her slot in the final eight of the competition. The star Indian shuttler had reached the second round by defeating compatriot Malvika Bansod in their round one game by 21-18, 21-15, in a match that lasted 34 minutes.

On the other hand, the Indian duo of Arjun MR and Dhruv Kapila won their second-round match in the men’s doubles category against the Malaysian duo of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin and confirmed their slot in the quarterfinals.

In a match that lasted for one hour and five minutes, Arjun-Kapila reigned supreme over their opponents by 18-21, 24-22, and 21-18. The Indian duo lost their first game, but they bounced back to win their second and third games.

Earlier on Thursday, Indian Olympic medalist PV Sindhu defeated Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh in the second round of the women’s singles category to reach the quarterfinals of the ongoing Singapore Open 2022.

Playing on court 1, Sindhu won her match 19-21, 21-19, 21-18. She got off a bad start, losing the first game closely. The Indian however kept her calm in the next two games and won them. The match was an extremely close-contested one and lasted one hour, six minutes.

The action continued on court 2, where Prannoy HS also won his first-round match against Taiwan’s Chou Tien-Chen and proceeded to the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Prannoy won 21-14, 20-22, 18-21. He lost the first game but bounced back to win the next two games and seal the match which lasted one hour and nine minutes.

91 Haryana Officials Nabbed For Taking Bribes In Last 6 Months

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 01:49 AM PDT

Chandigarh (Haryana): The Haryana State Vigilance Bureau has arrested a total of 91 persons for accepting bribes ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs 5 lakh in separate cases, in the first half of 2022.


As a part of its ongoing rigorous drive against corruption in the government departments, the State Vigilance Bureau has nabbed 83 government officers in 71 criminal cases, and eight other private individuals in the first half of 2022.

“Adopting a zero-tolerance policy against corruption has resulted in the arrests of 10 Gazetted Officers and 73 Non-Gazetted officials from January to June 30, 2022. On average, 15 public servants were arrested on corruption charges every month,” the spokesperson of the State Vigilance Bureau said on on Thursday.


He further revealed that 23 police personnel, 18 officials of the Revenue Department, 15 of Power Utilities, 8 of Urban Local Bodies, three each of Excise and Taxation and Social Justice and Empowerment, two each of Transport, Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs and Mining Departments were nabbed while taking bribes ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs 5 lakh in separate cases.


Highlighting the arrests of high-ranking officers, the spokesperson said, “two Chief Engineers of the Urban Local Bodies department have been arrested for siphoning off public funds and an HCS officer was arrested during the investigation of a trap case.”


“A District Town Planner was caught red-handed taking a bribe of Rs 5,00,000, and hence was arrested along with his co-accused Tehsildar,” the spokesperson added.


A Superintending Engineer of a Municipal Corporation was caught accepting Rs 50,000 while a Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner was caught red-handed taking a Rs 50,000 bribe. A District Horticulture Officer was nabbed taking Rs 30,000, while an Executive Engineer of HSVP (Horticulture) was arrested taking Rs 30,000.


Adding further, he said that an Executive Engineer of the Municipal Committee was arrested, while two Sub Divisional Officers were also caught red-handed taking a bribe of Rs 28,000.


A District Attorney was caught red-handed taking Rs 2,500, while a Naib Tehsildar was nabbed accepting Rs 14,000.


“A Building Inspector was arrested taking Rs 5,00,000, and an Assistant Sub Inspector was nabbed red-handed for taking Rs 4,00,000. The Taxation Inspector was nabbed red-handed taking Rs 2,00,000 and a Police Inspector of Gujarat police was nabbed taking Rs 2,00,000 at Gurugram,” he added.


Besides this, six Junior Engineers, ten Patwari, one Taxation Inspector, one Police Inspector, eight Sub Inspectors and seven Assistant Sub Inspectors were also caught red-handed while taking bribes, during this period, he said.


The State Vigilance Bureau is committed to intensifying the drive against corruption and all cases of bribery have been dealt with strictly, more crackdowns will follow in the coming days, the spokesperson informed.


The Bureau has also urged the people to fight against corruption and report complaints of bribery on its Toll-Free Helpline No. 1800-180-2022 and 1064. 

Disturbing Details Emerge From Internal PFI document -‘India Vision 2047’

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 01:47 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Bihar Police have unearthed a chilling document that talks of plans to establish an “Islamic government” in India by the 100th anniversary of the country’s independence.

The eight-page document titled ‘India 2047- Towards rule of Islam in India’ was recovered after Bihar Police on July 13 busted a potential terror module with some links to extremist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) and arrested two accused from the Phulwari Sharif area of Patna for indulging in anti-India activities. A third accused was arrested today. The arrested duo Mohd Jallauddin a retired police officer of Jharkhand and Athar Parvez, is a former member of the banned organisation Students’ Islamic Movement of India and a current member of the PFI and SDPI.

Excerpts of the internal document marked ‘not for circulation’ states that the PFI is confident that even if 10 per cent of the total Muslim population rally behind it, the organisation would “subjugate the majority community to their knees and bring back the glory of Islam in India.”

“To achieve this goal, this roadmap has been prepared to be kept in mind by all the PFI leaders and accordingly guide the PFI cadres, in particular and Muslim community, in general towards this goal,” it added.

“All our frontal organisations including Party should be focussed on expanding and recruiting new members. We would begin to recruit and train members into our PE department wherein they should be given training on attacking and defensive techniques, use of swords, rods, and other weapons,” the PFI document read.

The PFI document, as identified by Bihar police, also enumerated plans to recruit “loyal Muslims” into government departments including executive and judicial positions as well as the Police and the Army. According to the document the PFI also plans to “create a split between RSS and SCs/STs/OBCs” by projecting the organisation as an outfit interested only in the welfare of “upper caste Hindus”.

The document stated that those against their interest are to be “eliminated”.

“These PE cadres would also act as a safeguard against the influence of security forces by our opponents,” it said. Actionable points outlined in the document included ‘Establishment of Grievances’, mass mobilisation- Inclusiveness, Outreach and Engagement (mobilisation), a PFI in every house, recruitment and training of members, collection of information against Sangh/Parivar leaders.

The document said that “in the scenario of a full-fledged showdown with the State, apart from relying on our trained PE cadres, we would need help from friendly Islamic countries. In the last few years, PFI has developed friendly relationship with Turkey, a flagbearer of Islam. Efforts are on to cultivate reliable friendship in some other Islamic countries.”

After the raid and the arrest of the two accused, the Assistant Superintendant of Police (ASP), Phulwari Sharif Manish Kumar, said an excerpt from the eight-page-long document recovered from the document talks about “subjugating coward majority community and bringing back the glory”.

“Two indulging in anti-India activities were arrested. For the past two months, the accused had people from other states coming in. Those coming were changing their names while booking tickets and while staying in hotels,” the police official said. He said an FIR has been lodged against a total of 26 people of which 3 people have been arrested.

Kumar said that the arrested Parvez’s younger brother had gone to jail in 2001-02 bomb blasts in the state after SIMI was banned. The police official added that Parvez also raised funds in lakhs. He said locals were taught to use swords and knives in the name of martial arts and the accused instigated others towards religious violence.

“On July 6-7, in the name of martial arts, locals were taught to use swords and knives. They instigated others toward religious violence. We have CCTV footage as well as witness accounts. Parvez also raised funds in lakhs, ED is being involved for the same,” said Kumar. 

Over 5 Lakh Devotees To Visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple During Sawan

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 01:34 AM PDT

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): As many as 5,00,000 lord Shiva devotees are expected to appear to worship the deity at Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi during the month of Shravan, said the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the temple.

Today marks the onset of the holy month of ‘Sawan’ (Shravan), which is considered to be the most auspicious month of the year. The month holds great significance for devotees of Lord Shiva, who is the Supreme Lord, the creator, protector, and destroyer of the universe according to Hindu religious beliefs.

Although the Vishwanath Temple is always packed with devotees, the crowd, here, usually sees a significant surge during this month. Usually, the crowd started appearing at the temple site as well as the bank of the River Ganges.

It is also expected that besides the Kanwariyas, Lord Shiva’s devotees from North India, South India, and Western India will start emerging from Monday onwards. Most of the devotees who appeared on the occasion of the first day of Shravan month felt delighted.
One of the devotees from Odisha, Nardeep Singh told ANI that he has come to have deity’s ‘darshan’ on the very first day of the holy month of Sawan via road, as he has been very excited about the occasion since ever.

Another devotee Hemant Rao feels “fortunate enough” to have visited Kashi Vishwanath today.

Speaking about the importance of the occasion, one Bharat Pandey told ANI that the significance of worshipping Lord Shiva is always higher in this month, as compared to the one in the remaining 11 months.

“Starting from Guru Purnima to the Purnima of Raksha Bandhan, this 31-day festival is believed holiest,’ Pandey said.

He further said that the priests stay most busy during this month.

“Since it is happening after a break of two years due to Corona, devotees are more excited to visit the deity and take the holy dip,” he added.

During the month of Shravan, the devotees observe fasts on Mondays which are considered to be particularly auspicious days of the month. Lord Shiva is worshipped on Mondays throughout the year and the Mondays of this month are especially significant with the whole month being dedicated to the lord. The festival is celebrated predominantly in North India.

This year Sawan started on July 14 and will end on August 12. Four Mondays fall during this period- July 18, July 25, August 1, and August 8.

Railways Introduce Special Train For Kanwar Yatra, Extend Runs

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 12:36 AM PDT

Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh): Indian Railways has made elaborate arrangements for devotees of the Kawar Yatra that begins today and has extended the run of two trains till Haridwar, officials have said.

The Northern Railways will also add coaches, and stoppages and extend the routes of five pairs of trains on a temporary basis. Delhi- Saharanpur and Delhi- Shamli passenger trains will operate till Haridwar. “Additional coaches are being deployed by the railways, the same trains have been extended from July 13 to July 28 at Haridwar railway station, as well as three additional trains have been prepared by the railways due to the increase in the number of Kavad passengers, which have been prepared by the Haridwar district administration,” said Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (Sr DCM), Northern Railway (Moradabad Railway Division), Sudhir Kumar Singh.

A special train will also be operated and long route trains will halt at Raiwala and Motichur stations for the yatris.

The trains that will halt at Raiwala and Motichur railway stations for the convenience of the devotees include Doon- Subedarganj express, Doon- Ujjain express Doon- Indore express, Rishikesh- Kochuveli express, Vaishno Devi Katra- Rishikesh express and Rishikesh- Badmer express.

A mela special train will be operated daily between Moradabad and Luxar in Haridwar which will pass via Kaanth, Sentara, Dhampur, Nagina, Nazibabad, Mauzzampur and Balawali.
The officials also informed that while railway ticket checking staff, booking clerks and railway reservation clerks have been called by the railways from the second division of railways, the number of booking counters has also doubled.

Security arrangements have also been stepped up three extra trains are kept ready for emergency as well as 250 Railway Protection Force personnel (RPF) will be deployed for the safety of the pilgrims. Women battalion along with jawans have also been called to Haridwar railway station.

The ‘Kanwar Yatra’ is an annual pilgrimage of Lord Shiva’s devotees. The Kanwariyas (pilgrims) visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy water of River Ganga. They then worship God with the same water.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Kanwar Yatra in 2021 was cancelled in Uttarakhand and entry at ‘Har ki Pauri’ was also restricted.

Shravan Food Guide: Food Items To Be Avoided While Fasting

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 12:28 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Hindu calendar’s fifth month, Shravan, also known as Saawan or Shravan Maas, often falls between July and August according to the Gregorian calendar. It is said that anyone who maintains a fast on a Monday during this month will have all of his wishes granted by Lord Shiva.


This year, Sawan begins on July 14 and ends on August 12 with Shravan Purnima. Here is a list of foods that you must avoid while fasting during this holy month.

1. Liquor
Drinking alcohol during the Sawan month is viewed as sinful. It is believed that this is due to the negative energy that alcohol introduces into the body and psyche. Therefore, it is advised to refrain from drinking alcohol throughout the month.

2. Onion and Garlic
In addition to other vegetables, onion and garlic should be avoided if you want to have a satvik dinner. These two vegetables must be avoided at all cost since they are regarded as hot or tamasic.

3. Non-Vegetarian food items
Eating non-vegetarian foods including meat, chicken, eggs, and fish during the Sawan month is also not advised. This is due to the fact that eating non-vegetarian food implies the death and subsequent consumption of living things.

4. Brinjal
Brinjal is not regarded as a pure item in the Hindu scriptures. When it comes to religious and spiritual occasions, it is seen as unlucky. Therefore, one should refrain from eating brinjals throughout the Sawan month.

5. Spices
During Shravan, red chilli powder, coriander powder, table salt, and all other spices besides senda namak should be avoided. A diet that works best for your Somwar vrat must be followed. 

Opposition Up In Arms Against List Of ‘Unparliamentary Words’

Posted: 14 Jul 2022 12:21 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: 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.


Derek O’Brien in a tweet said: “Session begins in a few days. Gag order issued on MPs. Now, we will not be allowed to use these basic words while delivering a speech in Parliament: Ashamed. Abused. Betrayed. Corrupt. Hypocrisy. Incompetent. I will use all these words. Suspend me. Fighting for democracy.”


Some words and expressions which were declared unparliamentary from time to time by the Chair in different Legislative bodies in India the country as well as in Commonwealth Parliaments have been compiled by the Lok Sabha Secretariat for ready reference in the future.


The present compilation also contains references to words and expressions declared unparliamentary in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and State Legislatures in India in 2021.


The entries are arranged under keywords. The keywords are selected from the relevant expressions/words and then arranged in alphabetical order to facilitate quick and easy retrieval by the users.


Some of these keywords may not appear unparliamentary unless read in conjunction with the other expressions spoken during the parliamentary proceedings.


However, the final call on expunging these words will be taken by the Rajya Sabha chairman and Lok Sabha Speaker. 

Suspected Monkeypox Case In Kerala, Traveller Was From UAE

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 10:49 PM PDT

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): A suspected case of monkeypox, the first in India, has been reported from Kerala, the state health minister said on Thursday.


A traveller who arrived in Kerala three days ago from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was hospitalised after he displayed symptoms of monkeypox.

Samples from the traveller have been sent for testing to the National Institute of Virology in Pune, health minister Veena George said today adding that the case can be confirmed only after the results of the test are obtained.


According to World Health Organisation (WHO), monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.


Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus.

It is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting from two to four weeks, WHO said.


Monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.


The clinical presentation of monkeypox resembles that of smallpox, a related orthopoxvirus infection which was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980.

It typically presents clinically with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications.


Human monkeypox was first identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a 9-month-old boy in a region where smallpox had been eliminated in 1968.

Since then, most cases have been reported from rural, rainforest regions of the Congo Basin, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and human cases have increasingly been reported from across central and west Africa, according to WHO.


In 2003, the first monkeypox outbreak outside of Africa was in the United States of America and was linked to contact with infected pet prairie dogs. These pets had been housed with Gambian pouched rats and dormice that had been imported into the country from Ghana.


This outbreak led to over 70 cases of monkeypox in the U.S. Monkeypox has also been reported in travellers from Nigeria to Israel in September 2018, to the United Kingdom in September 2018, December 2019, May 2021 and May 2022, to Singapore in May 2019, and to the United States of America in July and November 2021. In May 2022, multiple cases of monkeypox were identified in several non-endemic countries.

US Judge Rejects Amber Heard’s Request For New Trial With Johnny Depp

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 10:33 PM PDT

Washington [US]: A Virginia judge has rejected Amber Heard’s request for a new trial in her legal battle with her ex-husband Johnny Depp and denied her claims that a juror snafu prejudiced the outcome of the case.


“Defendant does not allege Juror Fifteen’s inclusion on the jury prejudiced her in any way,” wrote Judge Penny Azcarte unequivocally Wednesday, rejecting the Aquaman star’s move to get the more than $10 million verdict for her ex-husband tossed and a new trial ordered, Deadline reported.

Heard’s lawyers had asked Judge Penney Azcarate to set aside the verdict awarding $10 million to Depp and declare a mistrial, but the judge denied the request.


“The juror was vetted, sat for the entire jury, deliberated, and reached a verdict,” the Fairfax County judge who oversaw the bitter six-week trial between the former Rum Diary co-stars.

“The only evidence before this Court is that this juror and all jurors followed their oaths, the Court’s instructions, and orders. This Court is bound by the competent decision of the jury,” Deadline reported.


The new filing comes just a week after Heard’s legal team asked a judge to toss out the USD 10.35 million judgment made in favour of Johnny Depp, arguing that it wasn’t supported by the evidence.


Following the six-week trial in Fairfax County, Virginia, a seven-person jury reached a verdict on June 1, deciding that Depp, proved that Heard defamed him in the 2018 op-ed, in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Depp has maintained that he never assaulted Heard and claimed she physically harmed him.


The jury awarded Depp USD 15 million in damages but Heard will only have to pay USD 10.35 million due to a Virginia law limiting punitive damages (the judge reduced the amount). In her countersuit, Heard won one of the three defamation counts and was awarded USD 2 million in damages, as per People magazine.

DTC To Withdraw 350 Buses Provided To Private Schools

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 10:29 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Considering to fulfil the growing demand for more buses for public transport in the city, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has decided not to provide buses to schools in the city from the new academic session.


This decision has been taken due to the insufficient number of buses in the Delhi Transport Corporation fleet.

The DTC officials have been ordered by the Delhi Government to recall about 350 DTC buses running in various private schools in Delhi and they should be included in the DTC fleet.


Although at present, out of the buses engaged in the work of transporting children of private schools, about 10 buses will still continue to serve, all the remaining buses will be withdrawn.


According to sources, private schools with special circumstances, such as private buses engaged in schools for children with disabilities, will not be called back.


According to a DTC official, “In September 2021 itself, the Delhi government had informed private schools that DTC buses would be removed from the service of schools and therefore schools should make alternative arrangements for buses.”


In January 2022, DTC also sent a reminder regarding this. After that, the matter went to court.


In April 2022, the association of some private schools and parents went to the Delhi High Court regarding this matter, the matter is still in the court, but in the meantime, the Delhi Government has ordered the withdrawal of the DTC buses installed in private schools.

VHP Demands Arrest Of Ajmer Dargah Cleric’s Son For Mocking Hindu Gods

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 10:27 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Days after Sayed Sarwar Chishti, the Khadim of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, kicked up a row with his provocative remarks, his son Syed Aadil Chishti made highly objectionable and derogatory statements against Hindu gods.

Vishva Hindu Parishad on Wednesday condemned the incident and demanded the Rajasthan government arrest him immediately. VHP Joint General Secretary Surendra Jain said, “The whole world is aware about the poisonous words of Chishti, due to which an atmosphere of hatred was created in the country and slogans were raised… and Kanhaiya was killed in Udaipur.”

“The kind of video released by his son Aadil Chishti in which he is seen mocking Hindu deities is highly objectionable and we will not accept it,” he said.

VHP leader Surendra Jain said, “Have people forgotten what civilization is all about? I demand the Rajasthan government that if you are really serious about the security of Hindus, then action should be taken against all these Chishtis of Ajmer Sharif and Aadil should be jailed along with his father Sarwar.”

“I also want to say that you should start learning good manners and not insult Hindus,” he said.

Sayed Sarwar Chishti, the Khadim of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah had kicked up a row with his provocative remarks, his son Syed Aadil Chishti made highly objectionable and derogatory statements against Hindu Gods. In a video clip, Aadil Chishti can be heard making offensive comments against Hindu Gods.

His statement comes against the backdrop of now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s remarks on Prophet Mohammad that had led to widespread violent protests across the country and also drew condemnation from some Gulf countries.

A few days ago, Sarwar Chishti, secretary of Anjuman Committee, had warned of a movement that would “shake India”. He had said if Prophet Mohammad is insulted then the Muslims will begin a movement that would jolt India.

However, Sarwar Chishti was on Tuesday seen at a peace rally in Rajasthan which was organised by religious leaders. He also appealed to Hindus and Muslims to live together peacefully.

“It is my desire to see peace and harmony in the country. I want people of both communities to live together with peace and harmony,” Sarwar Chishti said.

Last month, Sarwar Chishti’s nephew Gauhar Chishti, had made provocative statements against Nupur Sharma and raised “sar tan se juda” slogan outside Ajmer Sharif Dargah.

Canada: Gandhi Statue Defaced At Hindu Temple. Police Probe On

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 10:22 PM PDT

Ottawa [Canada]: India on Wednesday expressed its deep anguish over the desecration of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Richmond Hill city of Ontario in Canada and for a probe into the vandalism, which police said is being investigated as a hate crime.


The statue was vandalized at Vishnu Mandir in the area of Yonge Street and Garden Avenue, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported citing York Regional Police.

“We are distressed at the desecration of Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vishnu temple in Richmond Hill. This criminal, hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada. We are in contact with Canadian authorities to investigate this hate crime,” the Indian Consulate General in Toronto tweeted.


The high commission in Ottawa said India is deeply anguished by this hate crime that seeks to terrorise the Indian community. It also said India has approached the Canadian government to investigate and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice swiftly.


“We are deeply anguished by this hate crime that seeks to terrorise the Indian community. It has led to increased concern and insecurity in the Indian community here. We have approached the Canadian government to investigate and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice swiftly,” the high commission said in a tweet.


The local police described this as hate and a “bias-motivated incident.” “Someone defaced the statue with ‘graphic words,’ including ‘rapist’ and ‘Khalistan,” said Constable Amy Boudreau, spokesperson for York Regional Police.


“York Regional Police does not tolerate hate crime in any form,” Boudreau said.


“Those who victimise others based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression and the like will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she was quoted as saying by CBC.


“We recognise that community-wide impact of hate crimes is far-reaching and we do vigorously investigate all occurrences of hate crimes and any hate bias incidents,” she added.

India’s Inflation Could Dip To 5% By March: SBI Research Report

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 10:13 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: There is only 20-30 per cent likelihood of a global recession and chances of prolonged stagflation in the economy seem more, according to State Bank of India research report Ecowrap’s latest edition, which has projected that India’s inflation rate is expected to come closer to 5 per cent by March 2023.


“The fear arises that spiralling inflation and an aggressive monetary policy tightening cycle may lead to the recession, particularly in the US economy. However, the fear is unfounded,” it said.

In India, retail inflation has been over the Reserve Bank of India’s upper tolerance band of 6 per cent for the sixth consecutive month in a row in June. Retail inflation came in at 7.01 per cent in June.


“CPI inflation moderated slightly to 7.01 per cent in Jun 2022 as compared to 7.04 per cent in May 2022 due to moderation in food inflation. The June data now confirms the fact that peak had passed,” the report said.


The moderation in inflation in the past two months has been possible because of the various steps taken by the government, including the cut in taxes on petrol, and diesel, restrictions imposed on food exports, and cut in cement prices amid a global meltdown in commodity prices.


Globally too, high inflation has been a worrying factor due to both demand and supply side concerns.


“Categories that experience frequent supply-driven price changes include food and household products such as dishes, linens. Categories that experience frequent demand-driven price changes include motor vehicle-related products, mobile phones and electricity.”


With several goods and services costing more from July 18 with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council approving an increase in rates and withdrawing tax exemptions on some, the additional impact of GST rates increase on retail inflation will be in the range of 15-20 basis points only, it said.


The Government has maintained that any increase in GST rates is intended to make up for “inefficiencies” in the value chain. 

USD 2 Billion Agri Park Project In India To Be Announced At I2U2 Summit

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 10:06 PM PDT

Washington [US]: A USD 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.

“The (Biden) President will then participate in the first I2U2 summit with the leaders of Israel, India, and the UAE. And this grouping of countries is unique in how they can work together to tackle global challenges. And a focus tomorrow will be on the food security crisis and also on advancing clean energy,” a senior US official said in a background press call.


“And I think it’s an interesting moment to be in the Middle East because, of all the global challenges and crises, very few of them, if any, are really emanating here from the Middle East region. And, in fact, countries here in the Middle East region are lending their resources, their ingenuity, their innovation to actually try to tackle those challenges,” the official added.


The US official said this grouping will focus quite a bit on the food security challenge.


“And we’ll have a USD 2 billion project, which the UAE is helping to fund, for agricultural parks in India, which is focused on the food security challenge, among some other things that will be announced,” the official said.


“We’ll have some more details about it tomorrow. And Israel lending some of its technological expertise and then also some support from the U.S. private sector,” the official added.


The US official further said the project is “a pretty unique, collaborative effort that we think really gets to one of the key challenges that the world is facing today.”


Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the first Leaders’ Summit virtually, along with leaders of Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, today.


“Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be participating in an I2U2 Summit, along with Prime Minister of Israel Yair Lapid, President of the UAE Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and President of the USA Joseph R Biden,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Tuesday.


The I2U2 Grouping was conceptualised during the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the four countries held on October 18 last year.

“Each country also has Sherpa-level interactions regularly to discuss the possible areas of cooperation,” the MEA said.


It intends to mobilise private sector capital and expertise to help modernise the infrastructure, low carbon development pathways for our industries, improve public health, and promote the development of critical emerging and green technologies.


The Leaders will discuss the possible joint projects within the framework of I2U2 as well as the other common areas of mutual interest to strengthen the economic partnership in trade and investment in our respective regions and beyond. 

India Reports 20,139 New COVID Cases In Last 24 Hours

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 10:02 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: India witnessed an uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases as it recorded 20,139 fresh infections (19 per cent higher than yesterday) in the last 24 hours, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Thursday.

This is an increase of 3,233 infections as compared to yesterday. The country reported 16,906 new COVID cases on Wednesday. The active cases have now gone up to 1,36,076 and constitute 0.31 per cent of the total caseload in the country.

The daily positivity rate was observed to be 5.10 per cent in the last 24 hours, while the weekly positivity rate was recorded to be 4.37, the Health Ministry informed.

On Wednesday, the daily positivity rate was at 3.68 per cent and the total weekly positivity rate was 4.26 per cent.

The recovery rate in the country is currently at 98.49 per cent. As many as 16,482 recoveries were recorded in the last 24 hours thereby taking total recoveries to 4,30,28,356.

The government data added that 38 new fatalities have pushed India’s COVID-19 death toll to 5,25,557.

A total of 3,94,774 COVID samples were tested during this period. 86.81 crore tests have been conducted in the country so far.

Under the nationwide vaccination drive, 13,44,714 COVID vaccines were administered in the last 24 hours. A total of 1,99,27,27,559 vaccines have been administered so far.

In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.

39 People Die In Flash Floods In Afghanistan

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 09:50 PM PDT

Kabul [Afghanistan]: As many as 39 people have died in incidents of flash flooding in the past week with new districts in the east, south, south-east, and central regions of Afghanistan impacted by heavy rains.


“Since 5 July, flash floods have reportedly killed 39 people across five provinces – Uruzgan (20), Ghazni (6), Nuristan (7), Paktya (3) and Zabul (3). Nine of those killed were children, including six in Ghazni and three in Paktya provinces,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a flood update.

The heavy rains have damaged or destroyed around 2,900 houses, a tenfold increase since the last reporting period, and also disrupted livelihoods. Critical civilian infrastructure such as roads and bridges have also been impacted.


With the rains, land has slipped resulting in unexploded ordnance being transported into several villages of Paktya. This risk will increase as heavy rains continue.


Families assessed to date report needing emergency shelter, non-food items, food and water, sanitation, and hygiene support.


In the eastern region, heavy rain caused new flash flooding in four districts and affected close to 500 families – 213 families in Nangarhar, 200 families in Laghman, 26 families in Kunar, and 14 families in Nuristan.

This is the third time that the eastern region has experienced flash flooding in less than a month.


Three new provinces in the Southern Region – Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul – have been affected by heavy rains. Initial reports from partners and the ANDMA office indicate that some 600 households are affected in Uruzgan and Zabul, including damaged agricultural lands and livestock.


There are unconfirmed reports of 23 deaths – three people reportedly killed in Zabul from a house that collapsed and 20 people reportedly killed in Uruzgan in a bus that was overturned.


Multiple localized assessments and relief operations are ongoing. OCHA said that it continues to coordinate the emergency response on behalf of humanitarian partners in all four regions affected – central, eastern, southern, and south-eastern regions. 

Important To Address Lanka Conflict, Protestors’ Grievances: UN Chief

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 09:45 PM PDT

New York [US]: Amid the unrest in Sri Lanka, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said that it is important to address the conflict and grievances of protestors.


Taking to Twitter, UN Chief urged all party leaders of Sri Lanka to compromise for a peaceful and democratic transition.

“I continue to follow the situation in Sri Lanka very closely. It is important that the root causes of the conflict and protestors’ grievances are addressed. I urge all party leaders to embrace the spirit of compromise for a peaceful and democratic transition,” the UN tweeted.


A large number of protestors on Wednesday gathered outside the residence of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister and took over his office. Security personnel resorted to tear-gas shelling to drive away protestors on the streets of Colombo.


This comes after the embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who escaped to the Maldives today appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the interim President of Sri Lanka.


Gotabaya Rajapaksa who earlier fled to the Maldives on Wednesday with his wife and two bodyguards after full approval of Sri Lanka’s Defence Ministry is expected to go to Singapore.


Rajapaksa along with his wife Ioma Rajapaksa and two security officers were expected to leave for Singapore on board SQ437 from Male to Singapore tonight but did not board the aircraft due to security issues, Daily Mirror added citing sources.


Moreover, talks are on to secure a private aircraft for the embattled President, Maldivian Media reported.


Over the incident, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) asked the protesters to immediately return the office of the Prime Minister to the respective authorities saying ‘attempts to occupy Government Offices and to cause destruction or damage to property do not constitute peaceful protests’.


Meanwhile, Wickremesinghe imposed an island-wide curfew until Thursday morning.


73-year-old Gotabaya Rajapaksa had gone into hiding after crowds of protesters stormed his residence on July 9 and he had announced that he will hand over his resignation letter on Wednesday.


The country is facing a severe shortage of fuel and other essential supplies and is in the throes of its worst-ever economic crisis with soaring inflation. 

Virat Kohli Has To Find His Way: BCCI President Sourav Ganguly

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 09:42 PM PDT

London [UK]: Star India batter Virat Kohli is going through a lean patch and a groin injury has made the matters worse for the talisman.

The 33-year-old’s last international ton came in 2019 and his disappointing run of form continued in Tests and T20I series against England, as he could manage only 11 and 20 in Edgbaston Test and could score only 12 runs in his two innings in T20Is.

Despite all the failures, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly backs him to get back to his scoring ways.

“Of course, look at the numbers he has got in international cricket that doesn’t happen without ability and quality. Yes, he has had a tough time and he knows that. He has been a great player himself. He himself knows by his own standards it has not been good and I see him coming back and doing well. But he has got to find his way and become successful, which he has been for the last 12-13 years or more and only Virat Kohli can do that, ” said BCCI President Sourav Ganguly.

Virat Kohli’s poor run of form has led to enormous criticism and some of the former cricketers like legend Kapil Dev and Venkatesh Prasad have even questioned his place in the T20 side.

“These things will happen in sport. It has happened to everybody. It has happened to Sachin, It has happened to Rahul, it has happened to me, it has happened to Kohli. It is going to happen to future players. That’s part and parcel of sport and I think as a sportsman you just need to listen, be aware of what it is and just go and play your game, ” explained Sourav Ganguly.

Virat Kohli will have to perform and get back to his scoring ways or he could find it difficult to make it into the Indian squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia starting October 16. 

Indian Indices Rise In Early Trade, Most Nifty 50 Stocks In Green

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 09:38 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Indian stocks indices on Thursday opened with minor gains primarily due to value buying after recent losses. A decline in global crude oil prices also supported the indices.


A less than expected decline in indices in the US after the country reported steeper consumer inflation in the month of June also buoyed stocks back in India, said analysts.

At 9.39 a.m., Sensex was at 53,747.73 points, up 233.58 points or 0.44 per cent, whereas Nifty was at 16,036 per cent or 69.35 points or 0.43 per cent.

Among the Nifty 50 companies, 43 were in the green in early trade.

“Even though the keenly awaited US CPI inflation data for June came at 9.1% against an expectation of 8.8 per cent, US markets declined only moderately, by less than 1 per cent.

It is important to note that core inflation in the US is declining and, therefore, CPI inflation too will decline, going forward, since crude prices have corrected sharply,” said V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

Further, Vijayakumar added India’s economic fundamentals are strong and, more importantly, valuations are attractive, particularly in segments where foreign institutional investors are selling.

However, consistent depreciation in the value of the Indian rupee is a matter of concern.

“As we approach the near-term objective of 79.9, volatility may resurface, towards which end, the downside marker may be pushed higher towards 79.4. Dips to 79.58-50 may be an ideal entry point for longs,” said Anand James – Chief Market Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.


As crude prices fall below $100 per barrel, brokerage house Kotak Securities said crude oil may remain volatile and general bias is on the downside unless the market sees some risk sentiment improving significantly or improving China’s COVID situation.

Excise Duty Cut, Delayed Monsoon Raised India’s Fuel Demand In June

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 09:34 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The reduction in excise duty on petrol and diesel by the Central government coupled with the delayed arrival of the monsoon has led to robust demand for fuels in the month of June.


The Centre on May 21 reduced excise duty on petrol by Rs 8 per litre and on diesel by Rs 6 per litre to provide much-needed relief to consumers, causing an additional revenue implication of around Rs 1 trillion to the exchequer.

India’s demand for oil products rose 704,000 barrels per day, or 16.3 per on a yearly basis in June, said global energy and commodities-related service provider S&P Global Commodity Insights.

“Retail fuel prices have been constant on the pump despite a volatile international market, suggesting that there may be some under recoveries by oil marketing companies in selling transport fuels in the retail market,” it said.

It believes that the recent imposition of export tax on fuels will help the central government in managing its fiscal deficit, which had widened after the excise duty cut.


The Centre on July 1 imposed a special additional excise duty to the tune of Rs 6 per litre on petrol and Rs 13 per litre on diesel on exports, a move that could help meet the country’s energy demand.

“(RBI) also dropped its ‘accommodative’ stance with regard to policy and the government’s main focus now is to control inflation. Platts Analytics expects India’s economy to grow by 6.8 per cent in 2022 on a calendar year basis, and then by 6.3 per cent in 2023.”


In the near-term, it estimates India’s oil demand to dip on a quarterly basis by 140,000 barrels per day during the July-September quarter because of the ongoing monsoon season, before rebounding in October-December during the festival and holiday seasons.

British Parliament Felicitates BCCI President Sourav Ganguly

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 08:19 PM PDT

London [UK]: It was a memorable day for BCCI President Sourav Ganguly as the former India captain was felicitated by the British Parliament on Wednesday.

“I was felicitated by the British Parliament as a Bengali so it was nice. It was in the Parliament. They contacted me six months ago. They do this award every year and I got it,” said BCCI President Sourav Ganguly.

The Indian cricket legend was felicitated on the same date July 13 when he led India to Natwest final win in 2002 and exactly 20 years later on the same day he was honoured in the same city.

“Oh! yeah I saw that on instagram. It has been a long time isn’t it? 20 years ago. Yeah great moments in sport beating England in England is nothing better than that. The current team is doing it. They won the T20 series. They are 1 up in the one day series,” told Sourav Ganguly.

The way India defeated England in T20I was commendable as Rohit Sharma and company wrapped up the three-match series with a match to spare.and in ODIs also they are one win away from sealing the series. What pleased the former India captain was the sporting wicket in the first ODI and the way Indian bowlers exploited the conditions.

“That is what England has always been. There will always be help for the bowlers. I thought Bumrah and Shami were outstanding in the first spell and that just took the game away from England. India batted well to win with 10 wickets. 110 runs shows how well they batted on this pitch. It has been very good so far,” explained Sourav Ganguly.

India won the T20I series 2-1 but lost the Edgbaston Test and hence the series ended in a 2-2 draw dashing their hopes of winning a Test series in England after 15 years.

“Yes, but it happens in sport. You got to give credit to England. They played exceptionally well on that day. Chasing 400 in fourth innings is never easy and it was the highest run chase. So, that is the way it is 2 all in the Test match series. Win the T20 and if we can win the One day then I think we will be very successful,” told Ganguly said.

Few days ago on July 8 Sourav Ganguly turned 50 and his celebration videos near the London Eye went viral on social media.

“We live here (London). My daughter studies here. It’s great to spend time with her. She lives here all round the year. It was great fun. I loved every bit,” said Ganguly. 

Opposition Leaders To Discuss Joint Vice Presidential Candidate On July 17

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 07:25 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said that the leaders of Opposition parties will meet on July 17 to discuss the candidate for the upcoming Vice Presidential election.

“Meeting on 17th July and all Opposition leaders will attend it. Parliamentary Affairs Minister has also called an all-party meet. So, we’ll hold a discussion with everyone on the 17th that what kind of a candidate we should have,” said Mallikarjun Kharge on the candidate for the Vice Presidential polls. The Central Government has called for an all-party meeting on Sunday morning ahead of the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

According to him, the Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi has given a go-ahead for a joint Opposition candidate.

“There is no candidate from Congress. Our party president has clearly said that whoever is chosen as the candidate by all parties (of Opposition), we will stand with it,” added Kharge.
Yashwant Sinha is the candidate of the Opposition parties for the presidential election. Congress has given the task to Malikarjun Kharge who is the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha to reach out to opposition parties to select a candidate for the election for the Vice President post.

Nominations for the vice-presidential polls slated to be held on August 6, began on Tuesday.

The Election Commission made an announcement of the elections for the 16th vice president of India to take place on August 6, 2022.

The ECI has also issued directions for Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh to be the Returning Officer for the polls.

The nomination papers for the above election can be submitted starting today up to July 19, 2022. The scrutiny for the nominations will take place on July 20 and the final list will be published on July 22.

As in the case of the election to the President of India, the eligible candidates will need to submit a few documents including a certified copy of the electoral roll with the name mentioned on it and an amount of Rs 15,000 at the time of submitting the nomination papers which shall be returned after the election process is over in case they reachable candidate does not make it to the final list.

In case of the election of the Vice President of India, voting will happen in the Parliament and members of the Rajya Sabha will participate in this election as the vice president is also the de facto chairman of the upper house.

The poll for the upcoming vice president’s election is slated to take place between 10 AM and 5 PM on August 6, 2022, and the results are expected to be out on the same day.
In 2017 the NDA had nominated Venkaiah Naidu as its candidate for the vice-presidential election and he went on to become India’s 15th vice president. His term ends on August 10, 2022.

Meanwhile, National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) presidential candidate Droupadi and joint opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha are the only two contesting candidates for election to the Office of the President after the last date for the withdrawal of candidature ended on Saturday.

The Returning Officer for the presidential polls Rajya Sabha Secretary General PC Mody said the polling for the Presidential election will take place on July 18 from 10 am to 5 pm in Room Number 63 of the Parliament House.

The Members of Parliament normally exercise their vote in Parliament House, New Delhi, and Members of State Legislative Assemblies including the Members of the Legislative Assemblies of the NCT of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry in their respective Capitals at the places notified by the Election Commission in this behalf.

However, a Member of Parliament may vote in any State Capital and Union Territory Capital if he/she has obtained the prior permission of the Election Commission. Similarly, a Member of any State Legislative Assembly who has obtained the prior permission of the Election Commission, may, vote in Parliament House, New Delhi or at any State capital other than his/her own State. 

UK PM Race: Indian-Origin Rishi Sunak Wins First Round

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 07:25 PM PDT

London [UK]: Indian-origin and former Chancellor Rishi Sunak emerged as the strongest contender to succeed Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party and UK Prime Minister as he topped the ballot in the first round of voting.

Six candidates have proceeded to round two as newly appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt were eliminated after they failed to enlist the required backing of 30 Tory lawmakers, Xinhua reported. Rishi Sunak, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, topped the first round with 88 votes, according to Graham Brady, chair of the Conservative Backbench 1922 Committee.

The other five survivors are International Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt (67 votes), Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (50 votes), former Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch (40 votes); Backbench lawmaker Tom Tugendhat (37 votes) and Attorney General Suella Braverman (32 votes).

The second ballot is scheduled on Thursday and the 1922 Committee aims to whittle down the field to two candidates in successive rounds of voting before the British parliamentarians break up for the summer recess on July 21.

The final two contenders will then go through a postal ballot of all the Conservative members, numbering around 200,000, over the summer and the winner will be announced on Sept.5, becoming the new Tory leader and the UK’s next Prime Minister.

Boris Johnson replaced Theresa May as prime minister in 2019 and announced on July 7 that he was stepping down as prime minister and leader of the UK Conservative Party.

A total of 58 ministers quit the government following an ethics scandal which ultimately forced the UK premier to resign. Johnson, 58, managed to remain in power for almost three years, despite allegations that he was too close to party donors, that he protected supporters from bullying and corruption allegations, and that he misled Parliament and was dishonest to the public about government office parties that broke pandemic lockdown rules.

Johnson would continue to remain in office until October as caretaker prime minister until a new Tory leader is elected.

Johnson, who won a landslide victory in the general elections in 2019, lost support after he was caught in a string of scandals, including the Party Gate Scandle and Pincher scandal involving his appointment of a politician accused of sexual misconduct.

Johnson, however, defended his record as prime minister in the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session in the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon, as he touted his achievements of pulling off the Brexit deal, rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine and helping Ukraine.

“It’s perfectly true that I leave not at a time of my choosing,” he said, insisting “I’m also proud of the leadership that I have given and I will be leaving soon with my head held high,” read Johnson’s statement.

Cholera Outbreak In Amravati Claims 5 Lives, Total 181 Cases

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 07:17 PM PDT

Amaravati (Maharashtra): Five people died of cholera in the Amravati district of Maharashtra and as many as 181 patients have been diagnosed with the disease, the state public health department confirmed.

Among the deceased, two were women and three were men. Three of these patients were in the age group 24 to 40 years and two were over 70 years old. Cholera, a water-borne disease, broke out in the Chikhaldara and Amravati blocks of the Amravati district on July 7. The ongoing outbreak is in three villages in the Chikhaldara block (Dongri, Koylari and Ghana) and one village (Naya Akola) in Amaravati block.

Medical teams are working round the clock in outbreak-affected villages and efforts for prevention and control in terms of water quality monitoring, patient surveillance, management and treatment, and health awareness are underway, said the state government.

A state-level squad is currently in the district to investigate the outbreak and provide appropriate guidance.

Additional Health Secretary (Public Health) reviewed the outbreak situation in detail and necessary instructions have been given regarding the outbreak control to the District Collector and Chief Executive Officer of Amaravati district administration. 

Punjab Vigilance Bureau Arrests Ex-Minister Sangat Singh Gilzian’s Nephew

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 07:12 PM PDT

Chandigarh (Punjab): Aiming to unearth the corruption in the Forest Department during the previous Congress regime, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday arrested Daljit Singh Gilzian, nephew of former minister Sangat Singh Gilzian, who was a middleman to collect the ill-gotten money from contractors, in transfers of department officials, illegal mining as well as the purchase of tree guards.

Disclosing this here a spokesperson of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau said that the Bureau has recovered a diary which has several leads to the arrested Daljit Singh. The forest contractor Harminder Singh Hammi had given Rs 5 lakh as a bribe to former Forests Minister Sangat Singh Gilzian through one Kulwinder Singh for issuance of a permit for cutting of Khair trees at village Nada, Mohali district. He had also given bribes to the Range Officer, Block Officer, and Guard of this department.

During his tenure, former minister Gilzian had arranged a meeting of contractors with DFOs in Punjab and had directed that the purchase of tree guards for the protection of plants would only be made by some contractors only.

The cost of one tree guard was Rs 2,800 out of which Gilzian’s share as bribe was Rs 800. Large numbers of tree guards were bought at that time and a huge amount was collected as bribes.

During the tenure of S.S. Gilzian, Amit Chauhan was appointed as DFO, Ropar. At that time illegal mining was carried out on 486 acres of land in village Jinda, near Bela within one month. Around 50-feet deep pits were dug up in the village and Rs 40 to 50 crore worth of illegal mining was carried out in connivance with sarpanches and some other persons. 

Zelenskyy Holds Russia ‘Accountable’ For Ongoing Catastrophe In Sri Lanka

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 06:47 PM PDT

Kyiv [Ukraine]: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia for causing unrest in Sri Lanka as well as around the world due to the blocking of food products during the invasion of Ukraine.

One of the major tactics Russia has used in their invasion of Ukraine is the creation of an “economic shock,” Zelenskyy said, adding that several countries experiencing food and fuel shortages due to the disruption in the supply chain have benefitted Russia’s agenda.

Highlighting the crisis in Sri Lanka during a recent address at the Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul, he further said “The shocking food and fuel price hikes led to a social explosion. No one knows now how it will end.”

War in Ukraine has left an estimated 1.6 billion people in 94 countries exposed to at least one dimension of finance, food, or energy crisis, with around 1.2 billion living in “perfect-storm” countries severely vulnerable.

Amid the ongoing protests, Sri Lanka’s now acting President, Wickremesinghe stepped down from his post of Prime Minister due to the escalation in violence and protests in the country.

Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948, which comes on the heels of successive waves of COVID-19, threatening to undo years of development. Notably, the oil supply shortage has forced schools and government offices to close until further notice. Reduced domestic agricultural production, a lack of foreign exchange reserves, and local currency depreciation have fuelled the shortages.

Moreover, due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the increase in hunger since the start of the war is only ascending. The number of severely food insecure people doubled from 135 million prior to the pandemic, to 276 million over just two years. The ripple effects of the war could push this number to 323 million.

The Group of Seven (G7) leaders during the recently held summit also discussed the impact of Russia’s war on food and energy supplies including the global economy and said the bloc is determined to support Ukraine in producing and exporting grain, oil, and other agricultural products. They called upon Russia to cease, without condition, its attacks on agricultural and transport infrastructure and enable free passage of agricultural shipping from Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.

In a recent agreement between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, a months-long blockade of grain deliveries via the Black Sea will break, the UN Secretary-General Guterres said in a statement calling it a critical step forward in ensuring the safe and secure export of Ukrainian products.

Peaceful Transfer Of Power Within Sri Lanka Is Essential: US

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 06:41 PM PDT

Washington [US]: Amid the unrest in Sri Lanka, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung has urged for the peaceful transfer of power within the country’s constitutional framework and said that the US condemns all violence and calls for the rule of law to be upheld in the crisis-hit island nation.

“We condemn all violence and call for the rule of law to be upheld,” she said in a tweet, stressing that a peaceful transfer of power within SL’s democratic and constitutional framework is essential so the people’s demands for accountability, transparency, democratic governance and a better future can be realized. Julie Chung also requested parties to work together to bring economic and political stability in Sri Lanka.

“We urge all parties to approach this juncture with a commitment to the betterment of the nation and to work quickly to implement solutions that will bring long-term economic & political stability,” she said in a Tweet.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled to Maldives on Wednesday followed by an uprising triggered due to the economic collapse of the island nation, is now waiting to travel further to Singapore.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is now an acting president, has declared a state of emergency in the country and a curfew in the Western province had been imposed.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also announced to step down from his posts amid the ongoing protests and crisis in Sri Lanka.

The worsening economic situation in the country has led to increasing tensions and over the last few weeks as there were reports of several confrontations between individuals and members of the police force and the armed forces at fuel stations where thousands of desperate members of the public have queued for hours and sometimes days.

Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948, which comes on the heels of successive waves of COVID-19, threatening to undo years of development progress and severely undermining the country’s ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Nationwide Curfew Imposed In Sri Lanka Till Thursday Morning

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 06:34 PM PDT

Colombo [Sri Lanka]: A nationwide curfew has been imposed until Thursday morning in Sri Lanka in the wake of intensifying protests against the government.

The notification was issued by Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday. The curfew will remain in force till 5 am on July 14.

The notification said that no person shall be on any public road, railway, public park, public recreation ground or other public ground or the seashore in the schedule specified areas from midnight of July 13 to 5 am on July 14. Citizens can move under a written permit. Wickremesinghe signed the notification as Prime Minister.

Wickremesinghe on Wednesday declared an emergency and imposed a curfew in the western province of the country as protesters came prepared to face tear gas shelling by security forces deployed outside Wickremesinghe’s residence. Air patrolling also began around the PM’s residence.

As protests intensified in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, protestors who had gathered outside Sri Lanka PM’s office took over his residence at Flower Road in Colombo. Security personnel resorted to tear-gas shelling to drive away protestors on the streets of Colombo.

Wickremesinghe has instructed armed forces and police to bring the current situation under control.

The country’s opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said that the PM cannot exercise the powers of the President, and cannot declare a curfew or a state of emergency.

Sri Lankan authorities today confirmed that Gotabaya Rajapaksa had flown to the Maldives with his wife and two bodyguards after approval of the country’s Defence Ministry. The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that Gotabaya had landed at the Velana International Airport in Male on a Sri Lankan Air Force plane.

Singapore Reports 16,870 New COVID-19 Cases

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 06:29 PM PDT

Singapore: Singapore reported 16,870 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total tally to 1,557,648.

Of the new cases, 15,978 were local transmissions and 892 were imported cases. Among the local cases, 906 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 15,072 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health. A total of 734 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with 12 cases in intensive care units.

Three deaths were reported due to COVID-19 infection, pushing the death toll to 1,440, the ministry said. 

Sri Lanka Bar Association Asks Protesters To Vacate PM Office

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 06:25 PM PDT

Colombo [Sri Lanka]: The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) on Wednesday asked the protesters to immediately return the office of the Prime Minister to the respective authorities saying ‘attempts to occupy Government Offices and to cause destruction or damage to property do not constitute peaceful protests’.

BASL while expressing distress over the actions of protestors who had gathered outside Sri Lanka PM’s office today and took over his residence at Flower Road here, said in a media statement, “The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) is deeply disturbed at the occupation of the Prime Minister’s Office at Flower Road by protesting crowds. We call upon them to return the said premises to the authorities immediately.” “Whilst the BASL will continue to uphold the rights of peaceful protests, it does not support a situation of lawlessness or anarchy which are unconstitutional,” it said, adding Attempts to occupy Government Offices and to cause destruction and or damage to property do not constitute peaceful protests.”

BASL further said that the country is in a fragile situation and it is necessary for the Speaker, Prime Minister and leaders of all political parties in Parliament, as well as the citizens, to act responsibly and with a sense of sacrifice in the best interests of the country.
“It is also incumbent on them to act in good faith and prevent the creation of a situation that could lead to the breakdown of the Rule of Law,” it added.

A large number of protestors today gathered outside the residence of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister and took over his office. Security personnel resorted to tear-gas shelling to drive away protestors on the streets of Colombo.

This comes after the embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who escaped to the Maldives today appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the interim President of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan authorities confirmed that Gotabaya Rajapaksa had flown to the Maldives with his wife and two bodyguards after full approval of the country’s Defence Ministry. the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that Gotabaya had landed at the Velana International Airport in Male on a Sri Lankan Air Force plane.

The crisis-hit island country’s Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that he is yet to receive a letter of resignation from Gotabaya. “We haven’t received President Gotabaya’s resignation yet, but we hope to get one in a day,” Abeywardena said.

Meanwhile, Wickremesinghe today declared an emergency and imposed a curfew in the western province of the country as protesters came prepared to face tear gas shelling by security forces deployed outside Wickremesinghe’s residence. Air patrolling also began around the PM’s residence.

The country’s opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said that the PM cannot exercise the powers of the President, and cannot declare a curfew or a state of emergency.

On this, BASL said, “There were reports of the promulgation of a State of Emergency under the Public Security Ordinance and the imposition of curfew in the Western Province, which have been subsequently clarified as being ‘an intention to impose’ the same. After these reports, the Speaker announced that as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had left the country he had appointed the Prime Minister as the Acting President under Article 37(1) of the Constitution.”

“These different communications have resulted in confusion and uncertainty among the members of the public,” it added further appealing to the people to remain calm and ensure peaceful protest and to ‘leave room for the peaceful transition of power which the political leaders of the country have promised’.

Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed armed forces and police to bring the current situation under control.

Sri Lanka’s Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva requested all citizens to give their support to the armed forces to maintain law and order in the crisis-ridden country.
Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has appealed to security forces not to implement unconstitutional and unlawful orders given by the acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

He urged the armed forces, as a lawful and disciplined army, not to open fire at unarmed civilians and that their weapons should be directed against corrupt politicians.

Further, party leaders decided to request Wickremesinghe to resign forthwith and allow the Speaker to take charge of the country, PTA Leader Mano Ganesan said.

73-year-old Gotabaya Rajapaksa had gone into hiding after crowds of protesters stormed his residence on July 9 and he had announced that he will resign on July 13.

The country is facing a severe shortage of fuel and other essential supplies and is in the throes of its worst-ever economic crisis with soaring inflation.

Pakistan’s External Debt Servicing Rises To USD 10.886 Billion

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 06:16 PM PDT

Karachi [Pakistan]: Pakistan’s external debt servicing rose to USD 10.886 billion in the first three quarters of 2021-22 compared to USD 13.38 billion in the entire FY21.

The situation will create a serious problem for Pakistan as its foreign exchange reserves are fast depleting amid rising external debt servicing, reported Dawn. The external debt servicing was just USD 1.653 billion in 1QFY22 against USD 3.51 billion in the first quarter of 2020-21.

However, the debt servicing jumped to USD 4.357 billion in 2QFY22 and further to USD 4.875 billion in 3QFY22, reported Dawn.

Pakistan has been facing a serious threat from its external front as the State Bank of Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves fell to single digits despite a USD 2.3 billion inflow from China late last month.

The increasing size of the external debt servicing in each quarter indicates the government has been borrowing dollars at higher commercial rates to meet its foreign debt repayment obligations, reported Dawn.

The Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) led coalition didn’t disclose the rate at which it had borrowed USD 2.3 billion from China.

Initially, Beijing had agreed to roll over the syndicated loans before the ouster of the Imran Khan government. However, the Shehbaz administration had to wait for two months to secure the Chinese loan, reported Dawn.

The financial sector and other stakeholders of the economy are still not satisfied with the hidden cost of the Chinese loan. The market is full of speculations that Chinese loans were taken at a very high rate.

The two governments in FY22 could not control the influx of huge imports totalling USD 80 billion creating a large current account deficit (CAD).

So far the CAD in 11MFY22 reached USD 15.199 billion compared to just USD 1.183 billion in the same period of last fiscal year. The huge CAD is alone enough to understand the external weakness of the economy, reported Dawn.

Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has been assuring Pakistanis that the release of the USD 1 billion tranche is expected in a few days but three months have gone without a satisfactory reply from the IMF. Bankers believe that the fund is dictating the government like Washington to do more.

Since the IMF has stopped funding the country is not getting project funding from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, reported Dawn.

A senior analyst said that the Chinese knew that Pakistan was unable to return to the international debt market and the IMF was not in a hurry to help Islamabad. This was the reason for Chinese lent the money at a very high rate.

Pakistan has been paying debt servicing through commercial borrowing which means more external debt servicing in the next financial year.

PM Modi To Inaugurate Bundelkhand Expressway In UP On Saturday

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 09:22 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: With an aim to boost connectivity in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Bundelkhand Expressway at Kaitheri village in Orai tehsil of Jalaun district on Saturday.


According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the government has been committed to enhancing connectivity across the country, a key feature of which has been the work towards improvement in road infrastructure.


“A significant endeavour towards this was the laying of the foundation stone for the construction of Bundelkhand Expressway by the Prime Minister on February 29, 2020. The work on the Expressway has been completed within 28 months and it will now be inaugurated by the Prime Minister,” said the PMO statement.

The 296 km four-lane expressway has been constructed at a cost of around Rs 14,850 crore, under the aegis of Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), and can later be expanded upto six lanes as well.

It extends from NH-35 at Gonda village near Bharatkoop in Chitrakoot district to near Kudrail village in Etawah district, where it merges with the Agra-Lucknow expressway. It passes through seven districts, including Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah.

Along with improving connectivity in the region, the Bundelkhand Expressway will also give a major boost to economic development, resulting in the creation of thousands of jobs for the local people. Work on the creation of an industrial corridor in Banda and Jalaun districts, next to the Expressway, has already been started, said the PMO. 

Russia, Ukraine Delegations Start Talks In Istanbul On Grain Blockade

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 09:15 AM PDT

Istanbul [Turkey]: In a bid to break a months-long blockade of grain deliveries across the Black Sea, Russian and Ukrainian delegations on Wednesday met with United Nations and Turkish officials.


Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the work on the “grain issue” is in progress and being conducted via military officials.

“The work is underway. It is being conducted via military officials. The information will be provided as deemed necessary,” Peskov said, Sputnik News Agency reported.


According to Russian media, negotiations among Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the UN were planned in Istanbul for Wednesday.


The meeting in Istanbul marks the Russian and Ukrainian governments’ first face-to-face talks since another meeting in the Turkish metropolis in late March.


Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had said that Russia is open to negotiations with the West on ways to resolve several issues including the blockade of Ukrainian grain at Black Sea ports.


The Russia-Ukraine conflict and its impact on food security and energy dominated the closed-door G20 gathering on the Indonesian island of Bali. The G20 meeting ended with no joint statement and no announcements of any agreements being reached.


The forum was the first face-to-face meeting between Russia and its fiercest critics from the West including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.


Ukraine is regarded as the “breadbasket of Europe” supplying 10 per cent of the world’s wheat, 12-17 per cent of the world’s maize and half of the world’s sunflower oil.

Twenty-five million tonnes of corn and wheat – the entire annual consumption of all the least developed countries – can’t be exported and is currently at risk of rotting in Ukrainian silos.


The West accuses that Russia’s actions have driven up prices in countries like the UK and the ongoing blockade has placed 47 million people around the world on the brink of humanitarian disaster.


In addition to preventing grain from leaving Ukraine via the Black Sea – the route by which 96 per cent of Ukraine’s grain has historically been exported, Russian attacks are disrupting rail exports.


According to Western countries, not only is Russia preventing Ukraine from exporting its grain, but there is also increasing evidence that Russia is stealing grain from Ukraine, smuggling it over the border to sell and boost Putin’s war coffers.


Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, security experts say one of Moscow’s earliest strategic aims quickly became apparent as its armoured columns advanced along the coast in an effort to seize Ukraine’s coastline.


The seizure of ports would strangle Ukraine economically at a time when it most needs the funds to fend off Russia. After more than four months of the conflict, two of Ukraine’s five main commercial ports have been taken and both are in the northeast of the Black Sea. 

Name Tihar Officials Who Got Rs. 12.5 Cr- SC To Sukesh Chandrashekhar

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 09:08 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked alleged ‘conman’ Sukesh Chandrashekhar to provide it with the names of Tihar jail officials to whom payment of Rs 12.5 crore was made on his behalf along with payment details.


A bench of Justices U.U. Lalit, S. Ravindra Bhat and Sudhanshu Dhulia asked Chandrashekhar to give the names of people who made the payment on his behalf and who took the money.

The bench said it will go into the root of the matter of whether Chandrasekhar was a victim of extortion in jail or he was bribing jail officials to run his syndicate or extortion racket from Tihar jail.


“We will go into the root of the matter, ” the apex court said while posting for July 26 the plea of Chandrashekhar and his wife seeking transfer from Tihar jail to any other prison outside Delhi on the ground of a threat to life.


“To conclude whether petitioner was running a syndicate or bribing his way through, it would be key to identify persons who have the payments. We, therefore, call on him to submit the names of who paid and to whom the payments were made, by the next date of hearing,” the top court said in its order.


Senior advocate R Basant appearing for Chandrashekhar has told the apex court that his client continuously faces threats to his life from the jail staff and protection money was being sought from him. He has alleged that the Tihar prison authorities have extorted around Rs 12.5 crore from him in the last two years.


As Basant sought shifting Chandrashekhar to another jail because he was subjected to threats, extortion etc., the bench remarked, “You are right, but we have to get into it as well. Relief can come later, if you are running a complete racket using staff, we would like to know the names of whom you paid as extortion. You have ignited the process, very good. Now we will try and ensure this doesn’t happen again, we thank you for igniting.”


In its order, the top court noted that an affidavit submitted on behalf of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) states that while inside Tihar he was running a crime syndicate, paying Rs 1.5 crore every month for facilities like using phones to pass messages to persons from his syndicate.


The affidavit states that some jail officials were on his monthly payroll, the bench further noted in the order.


Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for ED told the bench that allegations against Chandrashekhar were serious and he impersonated judges and government officials and conned people of hundreds of crores from jail.


When we caught him, now he wants to continue this from Chennai, Raju said while objecting to his plea for shifting to another jail.


Earlier, when the vacation bench had asked the Central government to inform it in which jail Chandrashekhar can be shifted the government had said that he and his wife who are currently lodged in Tihar Jail could be shifted to Mandoli Jail in Delhi.


ED had also sought prosecution of Chandrashekhar for perjury claiming that he has falsely stated in his affidavit about a physical assault in Tihar Jail and deliberately omitted the report of the doctors who ruled out any physical injury to him.


The Centre and the investigating agency had opposed his plea before the top court to transfer him and his wife from Tihar Jail to any other prison outside Delhi.


Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for ED, had said that Chandrashekhar used to call models and celebrities to his jail in collusion with prison staff, who have been suspended and an inquiry has been ordered against them.


ED had told the top court that Chandrashekhar indulged in money laundering, extortion, and impersonation of public officials including those holding constitutional posts.


Director General (Prisons), Delhi Prisons in an affidavit had stated that the claims of Chandrashekhar that he was assaulted in jail are vehemently denied as totally and wholly false and “fabricated for the ulterior motive of seeking transfer to another prison in order to repeat his misdemeanours and offences.”


The Supreme Court on June 13 had said that it would be appropriate to transfer Chandrashekhar and his wife to some other jail so to allay the apprehension of all concerned and asked the Centre to take a decision on the appropriate jail to which he can be transferred.


Chandrashekhar is lodged in Tihar Jail on charges of money laundering and duping several persons and claimed a threat to his life in the prison.


Chandrashekhar along with his wife had moved the top court seeking his transfer from Tihar Jail to another prison and said that since he has levelled allegations against jail officials, he faces a threat to his life.


He is charged in many multi-crore fraud cases and is also accused of extorting Rs 200 crore from the family of former Fortis Healthcare and Ranbaxy Lab promoters Shivinder and Malvinder Singh from the premises of the prison.


He was also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the 2017 Election Commission bribery case allegedly involving former AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran and others.


Several Bollywood actresses and models have been questioned by the ED for their alleged links to Chandrashekhar.

Delhi Records 490 Fresh COVID-19 Cases

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 09:02 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The national capital on Wednesday reported as many as 490 fresh COVID-19 cases and three deaths in the last 24 hours, the Delhi Health Department informed.

With this fresh surge in cases, the cumulative positive cases rose to 19,41,905. Of these, 1,966 are active cases. As many as 481 fresh recoveries have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries to 19,13,651.

Of the 15,495 COVID-19 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, a positivity rate of 3.16 per cent was observed.

The death toll increased to 26,288 as the city recorded three fresh fatalities. The case fatality rate is now at 1.35 per cent.

On the vaccination front, 25,169 beneficiaries were vaccinated in the last 24 hours. Cumulative doses provided so far are at 3,53,03,136.

Delhi on Tuesday recorded 400 new Covid cases with a positivity rate of 2.92 per cent and one more fatality, according to the health department. Delhi had on Monday reported 280 fresh Covid cases with a positivity rate of 4.21 per cent.

CBI Arrests Close Aide Of Chhota Shakeel In Rs 34,615 Cr DHFL Fraud Case

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 08:58 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested Ajay Ramesh Nawandar, an alleged aide of gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s close associate Chhota Shakeel, in connection with an alleged bank fraud of Rs 34,615 crore by Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL).

During the investigation, his role was unearthed. He was in possession of costly articles and artcrafts belonging to DHFL’s then chairman-cum-managing director Kapil Wadhawan and promoter director Dheeraj Wadhawan which were acquired from the funds diverted from DHFL. When CBI conducted a search at his premises on July 8, they had recovered two paintings worth of Rs 35 crore and ultra-luxury watches belonging to the Wadhwan brothers and other items worth of crores were recovered from his house, said a senior CBI official.

“He was questioned on July 8 over the recoveries and today he was formally arrested. Several artworks purchased from diverted funds were recovered from his house. The matter is under investigation. We will find out if there are more links in the ‘investment’,” said a senior CBI official.

On July 8, CBI searched the premises of Rebecca Dewan and Ajay Ramesh Nawandar in Mumbai and Dewan Villa, Mahabaleshwar which led to the recovery of a large number of paintings and sculptures, some cash & other incriminating documents. The value of artworks recovered during the search was estimated to be around Rs 40 crore, as per initial estimates.

During the investigation, it was found that the promoters had allegedly diverted the funds and made investments in various entities. It was also alleged that the promoters had acquired expensive paintings and sculptures worth about Rs 55 crore (approximately) using the diverted funds.

A case was registered on a complaint from Union Bank of India, Industrial Finance Branch, Mumbai against a private (borrower) company based in Mumbai, its then CMD, then Director and others including a private person, private companies, unknown public servant(s) and private persons on the allegations that the accused cheated a consortium of 17 banks led by Union Bank of India to the tune of over Rs 34,615 crore (approximately) by siphoning off loans availed from the banks and falsifying the books of said private (borrower) company and creating Shell Companies/false entities, which had come to be known as “Bandra Book Entities”.

It was alleged that the said private company and its promoters had created a number of shell companies and fictitious entities (Bandra Book entities) and siphoned off huge funds by disbursing funds to such fictitious entities.

It was further alleged that separate audits conducted by other private audit accounting organisations had identified multiple instances of diversion of funds by the accused for personal benefits and falsification of books of accounts to camouflage and conceal dubious transactions.

The audits also identified several instances where large value loans were provided to such fictitious entities without due diligence and without securities. Instances of sanction and disbursement of loans, merely by e-mail communications were allegedly found for which no loan files were maintained in the said private (borrower) company.

Ex-Vice Prez Ansari Denies BJP’s Allegation Of Passing Sensitive Info To Pak

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 08:58 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Former Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari on Wednesday refuted the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) allegation that he had shared “confidential and sensitive” information about India with Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza.


In a statement, Ansari said, “Yesterday and today a litany of falsehood has been unleashed on me personally in the sections of the media and by the official spokesman of the Bharatiya Janata Party: that as Vice-President of India I had invited the Pakistani journalist, Nusrat Mirza. That I had met him in a conference in New Delhi on ‘Terrorism’, and that while as Ambassador to Iran, I had betrayed the national interest in a matter for which allegations have been made by a former official of a government agency.” Ansari said that invitations to foreign dignitaries by the Vice-President of India are on the advice of the government generally through the Ministry of External Affairs.


He said he had inaugurated the Conference on Terrorism, on December 11, 2010, the ‘International Conference of Jurists on International Terrorism and Human Rights’. As is the normal practice the list of invitees would have been drawn by the organisers. He said he never invited Mirza.


“My work as Ambassador to Iran was at all times within the knowledge of the government of the day. I am bound by the commitment to national security in such matters and refrain from commenting on them. The Government of India has all the information and is the only authority to tell the truth. It is a matter of record that after my stint in Tehran I was appointed India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. My work there has been acknowledged at home and abroad,” added Ansari.


Ansari, a retired diplomat was the 12th Vice President of India from 2007 to 2017.


Notably, Nusrat Mirza, a Pakistani columnist who has visited India many times during the Congress’ rule, boasted on camera that he used to pass on information collected during his visits to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).


He claimed that he had visited India on several occasions.


“I was invited to India at the time of Vice Presidentship of Mohammad Hamid Ansari,” Mirza said.


Following this, BJP attacked Congress and alleged that it was sharing the most secret things of the country with other countries, which they were using for terrorism. BJP said the Congress party has been “weakening the country”.


Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, “Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza himself has revealed that Hamid Ansari, the former Vice President of India, invited him to India five times between 2005 and 2011. Nusrat Mirza said in an interview that the then Vice President used to call him to India. During their conversations, highly sensitive and confidential information used to be shared.


The BJP spokesperson said Mirza stated that the highly sensitive and confidential information was shared not just once but five times by Hamid Ansari and this information was used against India.


“India is playing a leading role in the campaign against terrorism all over the world. And the Congress government invited such a person to visit India five times between 2005-11 and confidential information about the country was shared,” Bhatia said. 

Sri Lanka’s Army Chief Requests Citizens To Maintain Law And Order

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 08:51 AM PDT

Colombo [Sri Lanka]: Amid ongoing protests, Sri Lanka’s Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva requested all citizens to give their support to the armed forces to maintain law and order in the crisis-ridden country.

“Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva requests all citizens to give their support to armed forces & police to maintain the law & order in the country,” tweeted Daily Mirror.

Meanwhile, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has appealed to security forces not to implement unconstitutional and unlawful orders given by the acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
He said in a statement that there was rumour that shooting orders have been issued to security forces and that there was a serious danger of creating a clash between the civilians and the security forces, reported Daily Mirror.

He urged the armed forces, as a lawful and disciplined army, not to open fire at unarmed civilians and that their weapons should be directed against corrupt politicians.
He said he was in the struggle and was committed to achieving the victory of the people’s struggle.

Further, party leaders decided to request Wickremesinghe to resign forthwith and allow the Speaker to take charge of the country, PTA Leader Mano Ganesan said.

At the party leaders’ meeting held a short while ago, security forces discussed if force should be used to protect the Parliament, however, this request was turned down by the leaders present.

Commanders of the three armed forces, joint staff and IGP had also participated in the meeting.

Opposition leaders refused to approve the use of live ammunition against the protesters. Instead as a political solution, the opposition party leaders decided to request Wickremesinghe to resign forthwith and the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to take charge of the country until July 20 on the day where the voting for a new president takes place in parliament, reported Daily Mirror.

Almost all party leaders of the Opposition participated while only the Law and Order Minister Tiran Alles from the government side participated, Mano Ganesan said.

Hundreds of protesters have broken the first line of barricades set up outside the Parliament while forces are firing tear gas to disperse the crowds, reported Daily Mirror.
Meanwhile, a 26-year-old protester who was hospitalised after being teargassed outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Flower Road today has died after developing breathing difficulties.
The protester was receiving treatment in a private hospital in Colombo.

Crippled by a shortage of foreign exchange, the island nation of 22 million people has defaulted on all of its foreign debt and is in a deep economic crisis, resulting in public outrage. 

India, China To Hold 16th Round Of Corps Commander-Level Talks On July 17

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 08:48 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The 16th round of Corps Commander-level meeting between India and China is likely to be held on July 17, sources said on Wednesday.


They said talks would be held with the objective of discussing disengagement from friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.

India will be represented by Fire and Fury Corps Commander Lt Gen A Sengupta in the talks.


The 15th round China-India Corps Commander-Level Meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on March 11 this year.


During the meeting, the two sides had carried forward their discussions from the previous round held on January 12 this year for the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western Sector.


They had a detailed exchange of views in keeping with the guidance provided by the State Leaders to work for the resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.


They reaffirmed that such a resolution would help restore peace and tranquility along the LAC in the Western Sector and facilitate progress in bilateral relations.


The two sides also agreed to maintain the security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector in the interim. They agreed to maintain dialogue via military and diplomatic channels to reach a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.


India and China have been engaged in a standoff since April-May 2020 over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Finger area, Galwan Valley, Hot springs, and Kongrung Nala. The situation worsened after violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020.


The talks have led to disengagement from some areas including North and South Bank of Pangong Tso and Galwan but some friction points remain. 

Sri Lankans In Maldives Protest Against Ex-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 08:46 AM PDT

Male [Maldives]: Sri Lankans residing in the Maldives staged a protest on Wednesday against ex-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

They demanded that Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is currently at a resort in the Maldives, be sent back to Sri Lanka, reported Newswire. Video footage shared by a social media user shows Sri Lankans staging a protest in the Maldives’ capital, Male.

The protesters are seen holding the Sri Lankan national flag and placards with anti-government slogans.

Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives with his family early this morning, despite stating that he will announce his resignation Wednesday, reported Newswire.

The public in Sri Lanka has been calling for the President’s resignation over the current economic crisis.

Apart from leaving the country without tendering his resignation, he has also appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Acting President.

Meanwhile, the Maldives media reports that Rajapaksa is set to leave for either Singapore or Dubai, UAE from the Maldives later Wednesday, reported Newswire.

Amid mayhem and chaos in Sri Lanka, acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed armed forces and police to bring the current situation under control.

Further, some of the protesters have stormed the premises of Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister’s Office in Colombo.

Security personnel resorted to tear-gas shelling to drive away protestors on the streets of Colombo.

Wickremesinghe declared an emergency and imposed a curfew in the western province of the country as protests intensified following Rajapaksa’s escape to the Maldives.

A state of emergency was declared as protesters came prepared to face tear gas shelling by security forces deployed outside Wickremesinghe’s residence. Air patrolling also began around the PM’s residence.

The country’s opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said that the PM cannot exercise the powers of the President, and cannot declare a curfew or a state of emergency.

“PM becomes acting President only if the President appoints him as such, or if the office of President is vacant, or if the CJ in consultation with the Speaker forms the view that the President is unable to act,” Premadasa tweeted.

“In the absence of any of these, the PM cannot exercise the powers of President, and cannot declare curfew or a state of emergency,” he said in another tweet.

73-year-old Rajapaksa had gone into hiding after crowds of protesters stormed his residence on July 9 and he had announced that he will resign on July 13.

The country is facing a severe shortage of fuel and other essential supplies and is in the throes of its worst-ever economic crisis with soaring inflation.

IndiGo In Dialogue With Employees To Address Remuneration Issues

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 05:49 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Amid the mass sick leave protest by airline employees, IndiGo on Wednesday said it is in the process of addressing issues related to its employee remuneration.

IndiGo released a statement saying that they are in constant dialogue with its employees to take care of any issues or grievances. The airline’s statement comes after a sizeable number of the airline’s aircraft maintenance technicians went on sick leave to protest against their low salaries and demand restoration of salaries that were slashed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As a responsible employer, IndiGo is in constant dialogue with its employees to take care of any issues or grievances. The aviation industry has undergone a difficult phase over the last 24+ months. As business recovers, we are in the process of addressing some of the issues related to employee remuneration. This is an ongoing activity and we will continue to take employee feedback in the process,” Indigo said in a statement.

IndiGo also said that the airline’s operations will continue to be normal, with the addition of several new destinations to their network.

“Meanwhile, our operations continue to be normal, while we add several new destinations to our network and look forward to welcoming customers from across India and the world,” it added.

Earlier in the day, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said that they are keeping a close watch on the situation that emerged after maintenance technicians of airlines went on mass sick leave.

A senior DGCA official informed that they are keeping an eye on the situation.
“DGCA is keeping watch on the situation. Operations are normal as of now. We expect a resolution shortly,” he said.

He added that they are in communication with the concerned airlines regarding the issue and asked for early resolution.

The issue has largely affected the operation of Indigo and later it spread to other airlines like Go First. 

Bring Situation Under Control: Sri Lanka’s Acting President To Armed Forces

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 05:37 AM PDT

Colombo [Sri Lanka]: Amid mayhem and chaos in Sri Lanka, acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed armed forces and police to bring the current situation under control.

“Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe says armed forces and police instructed to bring the current situation under control,” tweeted Daily Mirror. As protests intensified in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, protestors who had gathered outside Sri Lanka PM’s office have taken over his residence at Flower Road in Colombo.

Security personnel today resorted to tear-gas shelling to drive away protestors on the streets of Colombo.

These reports come as the embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, escaped to the Maldives. appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the interim President of Sri Lanka.

Wickremesinghe today declared an emergency and imposed a curfew in the western province of the country as protesters came prepared to face tear gas shelling by security forces deployed outside Wickremesinghe’s residence. Air patrolling also began around the PM’s residence.

The country’s opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said that the PM cannot exercise the powers of the President, and cannot declare a curfew or a state of emergency.

“PM becomes acting President only if the President appoints him as such, or if the office of President is vacant, or if the CJ in consultation with the Speaker forms the view that the President is unable to act,” Premadasa tweeted.

“In the absence of any of these, the PM cannot exercise the powers of President, and cannot declare curfew or a state of emergency,” he said in another tweet.

Military personnel used tear gas shells to disperse protestors who scaled the wall to enter the Sri Lankan PM’s residence in Colombo.

Sri Lankan authorities today confirmed that Gotabaya Rajapaksa had flown to the Maldives with his wife and two bodyguards after full approval of the country’s Defence Ministry. the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that Gotabaya had landed at the Velana International Airport in Male on a Sri Lankan Air Force plane.

The crisis-hit island country’s Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that he is yet to receive a letter of resignation from Gotabaya. “We haven’t received President Gotabaya’s resignation yet, but we hope to get one in a day,” Abeywardena said.

73-year-old Gotabaya Rajapaksa had gone into hiding after crowds of protestors stormed his residence on July 9 and he had announced that he will resign on July 13.

The country is facing a severe shortage of fuel and other essential supplies and is in the throes of its worst economic crisis with soaring inflation. 

1st Russian Rail Transit Cargo To India Arrives In Iran

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 05:30 AM PDT

Tehran [Iran]: Marking the official launch of the eastern section of the North-South railway corridor, the first rail transit cargo from Russia to India entered Iran on Tuesday through the Sarakhs border crossing.

Carrying 39 containers, the Russian transit train left Chekhov station on July 6, traveling 3,800 kilometers through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to enter Iran. The cargo will be transported to Bandar Abbas port in southern Iran through a 1600 km rail route to finally be sent to India’s Nhava Sheva Port via sea, reported Tehran Times.

The Russian train was allowed into the Iranian border in a ceremony attended by First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber along with transport, oil, industry, and agriculture ministers as well as the vice president for science and technology.

Speaking at this ceremony, Mokhber stressed the Iranian government’s determination for expanding trade with neighbouring countries, especially in the transit sector, reported Tehran Times

“The transit capacity of the country has increased to 20 million tons and by planning and taking appropriate measures, transiting 300 million tons of commodities per year can be reached,” said Mokhber.

The North-South Corridor consists of three route sections, namely East, West, and Middle.
Iran and Russia are also cooperating in the maritime sector to use the Caspian Sea to shorten the transit route from Russia to India.

International North-South Transport Corridor is a corridor to increase trade between India and Russia. This trade route is 7200 Km long and the transport of freight is through a multi-mode network of roads, ships, and railways. This route connects India and Russia through Iran and Azerbaijan.

The corridor is aimed at reducing the carriage cost between India and Russia by about 30 per cent and bringing down the transit time from 40 days by more than half.

Earlier this week, the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) announced that it has assigned 300 containers to transport goods between Russia and India, reported Tehran Times.

The mentioned containers have been allocated to execute the first phase of a program for transiting Russian commodities to India via the North-South Corridor using the Caspian Sea.

“According to the plans made by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, in the first phase, 300 containers have been considered for transporting cargos to Russia, and if the demand increases, the number of these containers will increase continuously,” an IRISL statement said.

Russia, India, and Iran are the founding member states of INSTC. The agreement was signed in 2002.

There are 13 member states of the INSTC project – India, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgystan, Oman, Turkey, Syria and Ukraine.
Bulgaria is the Observer State. The Baltic countries like Latvia and Estonia have also expressed willingness to join the INSTC.

India shows interest in extending INSTC membership to countries like Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

Establishing a land route via Kabul and Tashkent to form the INSTC’s “Eastern corridor” would maximise the potential of this collaboration.

Also, India wants to include Chabahar port to be included in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

The potential export sectors in India that benefit from INSTC include perishable goods (fruits and vegetables), high-value items like ATMs, industrial printers, 3D printers, robotic assembly accessories, etc., cross-border e-commerce, and sectors that are likewise. 

Former Sri Lankan Prez Rajapaksa To Leave For Singapore From Maldives

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 05:23 AM PDT

Colombo [Sri Lanka]: Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who landed in the Maldivian capital Male on a Sri Lankan Air Force plane, will be leaving for Singapore on Wednesday.

Rajapaksa who left for the Maldives early this morning is to leave for Singapore later Wednesday, sources in the Maldives told the Daily Mirror. Rajapaksa landed at the Velana International Airport in the Maldives early Wednesday.

The Prime Minister’s Office also confirmed that Rajapaksa has left the country.
A statement issued by the Sri Lankan Air Force said that Rajapaksa prepared a SLAF aircraft to fly to the Maldives per his presidential powers and with the approval of the Ministry of Defence.

Rajapaksa and his wife along with two bodyguards travelled to the Maldives after full approval of the country’s Defence Ministry, Sri Lanka officials confirmed on Wednesday.

“According to the request of the Government in accordance with the powers vested in an Executive President in the Constitution of Sri Lanka, His Excellency the President and the Lady along with two bodyguards from Katunayake International Airport to the Maldives subject to the full approval of the Ministry of Defence subject to immigration, customs and all other laws at Katunayake International Airport. An Air Force flight was given clearance early in the morning on July 13, 2022 to depart,” Sri Lankan Air Force Media Director said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed armed forces and police to bring the situation under control.

As protests intensified in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, protestors who had gathered outside Sri Lanka Prime Minister’s office have taken over his residence at Flower Road here.

Security personnel resorted to tear-gas shelling to drive away protestors on the streets of Colombo.

Wickremesinghe Wednesday declared an emergency and imposed a curfew in the western province of the country as protesters came prepared to face tear gas shelling by security forces deployed outside Wickremesinghe’s residence. Air patrolling has also started around the PM’s residence.

The country’s opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said that the PM cannot exercise the powers of the President, and cannot declare a curfew or a state of emergency.

“PM becomes acting President only if the President appoints him as such, or if the office of President is vacant, or if the CJ in consultation with the Speaker forms the view that the President is unable to act,” Premadasa tweeted.

“In the absence of any of these, the PM cannot exercise the powers of President, and cannot declare curfew or a state of emergency,” he said in another tweet.

Military personnel used tear gas shells to disperse protestors who scaled the wall to enter the Sri Lankan PM’s residence in Colombo.

73-year-old Gotabaya Rajapaksa had gone into hiding after crowds of protesters stormed his residence on July 9 and he had announced that he will resign on July 13.

The country is facing a severe shortage of fuel and other essential supplies and is in the throes of its worst-ever economic crisis with soaring inflation. 

DGCA Closely Monitoring Situation After Airline Technicians Go On Mass Leave

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 04:03 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday said that they are keeping a close watch on the situation that emerged after maintenance technicians of airlines went on mass sick leave.


A senior DGCA official informed that they are keeping an eye on the situation. “DGCA is keeping watch on the situation. Operations are normal as of now. We expect a resolution shortly,” he said.


He added that they are in communication with the concerned airlines regarding the issue and asked for early resolution.


During the last five days, a sizeable number of the airline’s aircraft maintenance technicians went on sick leave to protest against their low salaries and demand restoration of salaries that were slashed during the COVID-19 pandemic.


The issue has largely affected the operation of Indigo and later it spread to other airlines like Go First. 

On This Day In 1974, India Played Its First-Ever ODI

Posted: 13 Jul 2022 03:38 AM PDT

Leeds [UK]: On this day in 1974, the Indian cricket team played its first-ever one-day-international (ODI), playing against England at Leeds.


The occasion was a historic one for the country.

After the ODIs started in 1971, India finally got its chance in this format three years later. England won the toss and elected to field first.

India got off a steady start with openers Sunil Gavaskar and Sudhir Naik putting on 44-runs for the first wicket.

Naik was the first wicket gone for 18, dismissed by medium-pacer Robin Jackman, followed soon by Gavaskar, who was bowled for 28 by medium-pacer Geoff Arnold.


Then Gundappa Vishwanath fell for cheap to Bob Woolmer, reducing India to 60/3. A 70-run stand followed between Ajit Wadekar, the skipper and wicketkeeper-batter Farookh Engineer, which ended with the latter being bowled by Chris Old for 32.

Wadekar went on to score India’s first-ever ODI fifty, falling for 67 to Jackman at the score of 181, he was the fifth batter gone.


After Eknath Solkar’s wicket, Brijesh Patel and Syed Abid Ali stitched a 52-run stand, taking India to 246 before Ali fell to Woolmer for 17. Patel’s 82 off 78 took India to 265 before the side ran out of batters.


Chris Old was the pick of the bowlers with 3/43. Arnold, Woolmer and Jackman took two wickets each while Tony Greig took one.


In chase of challenging 266, spinner Eknath Solkar sent back opener Dennis Amiss for 20, with England down at 37/1.

David Llyod and John Edrich pulled England out of any trouble that could have followed after that wicket, putting together 47 runs. Solkar provided the breakthrough, dismissing Llyod for 34.

Skipper Mike Denness walked back for 8 after Madan Lal dismissed him with assistance from the hands of Srinivas Venkataraghavan.


England was at 3/96. From this point on Edrich and Keith Fletcher started taking the game away from India, putting a 83-run stand, which could be broken after spinner Bishan Singh Bedi dismissed Fletcher for 39.

Edrich went on, falling ten runs short of his hundred as the fifth wicket at the score of 212 to Venkataraghavan’s spin.


The rest of the chase was a cakewalk for England. Except the fact that Tony Greig was dismissed for 40 by Bedi, Alan Knott (15*) and Chris Old (5*) guided their team to a four-wicket win.


Eknath Solkar was the pick of the bowlers with 2/31.


Though India lost the first game, they showed improvement year by year, decade by decade to transform into a world-class, formidable unit of the 2020s.

In 1,003 matches, it has won 522 of them, losing 431. Nine games have ended in a tie and 41 produced no result. India has a win percentage of 54.72.


India is two-time 50-over World Cup winner, winning the 1983 and 2011 editions. They have also won the 2013 Champions Trophy.


India has produced some of the greatest batters in the ODI format.

Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run-scorer with 18,426 runs. Virat Kohli (12,311), Saurav Ganguly (11,363) and Rahul Dravid (10,889) are also in top ten. Other than that, MS Dhoni (10,773), Rohit Sharma (9,359), Yuvraj Singh (8,701) and Virender Sehwag (8,273) have also made an impact.


Spinner Anil Kumble (337 wickets) is considered as India’s greatest ODI bowler and is in top 10 leading wicket-takers in the format. Javagal Srinath (315 wickets), Ajit Agarkar (288 wickets), Zaheer Khan (282 wickets) and Harbhajan Singh (269) are also quite impactful.

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