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Thu, 14 July 2022
8 Amarnath pilgrims die in 36 hrs, toll at 41
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23:56 Army dedicates 100-ft-high tricolour set up in Jammu to people of Kishtwar
The Army on Thursday dedicated a 100-ft-high national flag installed in Jammu to the people in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, a defence spokesperson said.
The installation of the flag at the Kuleed Chowk was completed in a record time of 40 days and it is one of its kind in the Jammu region, he said.
General Officer Commanding, Counter-Insurgency Force (Delta), Major General Ajay Kumar dedicated the tricolour to the public at the inaugural ceremony of the two-day Kishtwar Cultural Festival.
A large number of people, including local students, witnessed the event.
This initiative is aimed at instilling pride among the people towards the tricolour, the spokesperson said.
Religious heads of different communities also unveiled "a newly constructed memorial to honour all the bravehearts of Kishtwar who laid down their lives in the line of duty", he said.
In his address, GOC Kumar appreciated the district administration and police for fast-tracking the necessary permissions and clearances for the project and all assistance provided to the Army. -- PTI
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23:47 8 Amarnath pilgrims die in 36 hrs, toll at 41
Eight pilgrims died due to natural causes in the last 36 hours during the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, taking the pilgrimage's death toll to 41, officials said on Thursday.
The total includes 15 pilgrims who died in the flash flood triggered by a cloudburst near the cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas last week.
The eight pilgrims who died were identified as Mongilal (52) from Rajasthan, Vriag Lal Hira Chand Vyas (57) from Gujarat, Basavaraja (68) from Karnataka, Pooniamoorthi (63) from Singapore, Kiran Chaturvedi from Maharashtra, Kalavala Suberamanyam (63) from Andhra Pradesh, Govind Sharan (34) from Uttar Pradesh, and Satveer Singh (70) from Haryana, the officials said.
The annual Amarnath Yatra began on June 30 but was suspended following the flash flood on July 8. -- PTI
23:20 Ajmer dargah cleric arrested from Hyderabad over provocative speech
The police on Thursday arrested an Ajmer dargah cleric from Hyderabad for allegedly delivering a provocative speech at the main gate of the shrine last month.
Additional superintendent of police, Ajmer, Vikas Sangwan said an FIR was registered against Gohar Chishti on June 25 over the speech he delivered on June 17.
Chishti left Rajasthan on June 29 and had been on the run since then, he said.
"He will be brought to Ajmer on transit remand on Friday," Sangwan said. -- PTI
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22:46 Twitter faces outage across globe including in India, restores later
Social media platform Twitter on Thursday went down across several part of the globe including in India but was restored around 10 pm as per Indian standard time.
According to statistics on digital service breakdown tracker Down Detector, there were several complaints from Twitter users about the outage of the service between 5-9.30 pm.
Twitter Support around 10 pm tweeted that the services has been restored.
"And we're back! We had some trouble with our internal systems that impacted many of you globally. Twitter should be up and running as expected '" sorry for the interruption," Twitter Support said in a late night tweet. -- PTI
22:40 Parliament to host farewell for Kovind on July 23
Parliament will host a farewell for outgoing President of India Ram Nath Kovind at the Central Hall on July 23.
Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Members of Parliament will be present at the gathering at 5:30 pm on July 23, sources said.
During the evening, a farewell speech will be delivered by Speaker Om Birla.
The Speaker will hand over a certification of appreciation to the President along with a book signed by all Members of Parliament.
The book which is needed to be signed by all Members of Parliament will be placed in the Central Hall of Parliament between July 18 and 21 for them to sign their names.
On July 16, 2022, Kovind will be hosting a dinner for Union ministers and Governors at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The term of the outgoing President of India Ram Nath Kovind ends on July 24, 2022, and the election for the new President of India will take place on July 18 and the result will be declared on July 21. -- PTI
22:33 No comment: MEA steers clear of ex Vice-President Ansari row
The Ministry of external affairs Thursday steered clear of the controversy involving former vice president Hamid Ansari over claims of a Pakistani journalist, saying it does not want to comment on the issue.
Clips of Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza's interview in Pakistan have been doing the rounds on social media for the last few days in which he stated that he attended a seminar on terrorism in India in which Ansari spoke.
Mirza also claimed to have given secret and classified information to the Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence.
Asked about the media report on Mirza's remarks and Ansari's statement on the allegations, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "I have seen some media reports but I cannot comment on it. I don't have the details about the media report and it is uncorroborated. I would not like to comment on both the points."
The BJP has accused Ansari of inviting to India the Pakistani journalist, who has claimed to have spied for the ISI, but the former vice president dismissed the charge as a 'litany of falsehood' and said he never met or invited him. -- PTI
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22:07 Tansa dam that supplies drinking water to Mumbai is full
Tansa dam, which is one of the seven reservoirs that supply drinking water to Mumbai, is now full owing to good rainfall in the catchment area over the past few days, an official said on Thursday.
Palghar district collector Manik Gursal said this in a statement while also warned the people living downstream to exercise caution in view of the development.
"Tansa dam is now about to overflow with incessant showers in its catchment areas in the last some days. We have warned the people residing downstream of the Tansa river about the possibility of rising water levels," he said.
Similarly, the authorities concerned have been asked to undertake precautionary measures as Tansa dam may start overflowing soon, the collector said.
The dam has the height of 128.17 meters and its overflow level is 128.63 meters.
There are strong chances of it would overflow soon, he added.
Built at the end of the 19th century, the dam is the third largest water body that supplies drinking water to the state capital after Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna dams.
Mumbai city receives its drinking water supply from Upper Vaitarna, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Middle Vaitarna, Bhatsa, Vihar, and Tulsi lakes. -- PTI
21:39 Droupadi Murmu skips meeting Uddhav in Mumbai
The National Democratic Alliance's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu did not meet Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray during her visit to Mumbai on Thursday despite the latter declaring support to her.
No meeting had been scheduled between Murmu and Thackeray, Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut said. Two days ago,
Thackeray announced support for Murmu's candidature for the July 18 presidential election after breaking ranks with his Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance partners, namely, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress.
ena MP Sanjay Raut said his party did not expect Murmu to visit `Matoshree', the Thackeray family's residence in suburban Bandra, in return for the party's support.
The Sena decided to support her as party legislators who belong to tribal communities were strongly in favour of backing her, he added.
While the Sena denied that Thackeray decided to back Murmu due to any pressure or political calculations, political observers feel that by doing so, he was keeping the door open for reconciliation with the rebel MLAs led by Eknath Shinde, and eventually the BJP, its former ally.
Shinde became Maharashtra chief minister with the support of the BJP last month after toppling the MVA government led by Thackeray.
There has been a split in the Shiv Sena parliamentary party as well with half a dozen Lok Sabha MPs including Bhavana Gavali abandoning the Thackeray-led faction.
The Sena's decision to back Murmu (instead of the Opposition's candidate Yashwant Sinha) did not go down well with Congress which said Thackeray did not discuss the issue with his allies.
Notably, the Sena had broken ranks with the BJP-led NDA to support Congress leaders Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee in earlier presidential elections.
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21:09 Uber driver will be able to see trip destination before accepting ride
Uber on Thursday said its drivers would be able to see the final destination of the passenger before they accept the ride as it looks to cut down on trip cancellation post-booking of the trip.
The move follows feedback that the ride-hailing app received from its National Driver Advisory Council which was launched in March 2022 to facilitate a two-way dialogue between Uber and drivers across six metro cities to address key issues.
"To enhance transparency and remove frustration for riders and drivers, drivers on the Uber platform across India will now be able to see the trip destination before they decide to accept the ride," Uber said in a statement.
The company said it had done a pilot project in May on the same which yielded encouraging results in the reduction of trip cancellations.
"Uber has decided to do away with the trip acceptance threshold and rolled out the unconditional feature to all cities. Uber will continue monitoring feedback from drivers and riders and make changes if required," the ride-hailing firm said.
To further facilitate ease of doing business on its platform, Uber has now introduced an OTP-based login that will help drivers to log in to the app in a hassle-free and convenient way without the need to remember passwords or other details.
Based on the discussion during the second meeting of its driver advisory council, Uber also took cognizance of common issues faced by drivers and provided solutions. -- PTI
20:58 Rajapaksa emails resignation to speaker: Reports
Sri Lanka's embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday sent his resignation letter through an email to Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardenaon whose office is checking the legality of the document, according to media reports.
The speaker said that he has received the resignation letter from President Rajapaksa and his office was checking the legality of the letter, media reports said.
In an unusual move, Maldivian Majlis (Parliament) Speaker Mohamed Nasheed earlier announced that Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa has resigned.
"Sri Lankan President GR has resigned. I hope Sri Lanka can now move forward. I believe the President would not have resigned if he were still in Sri Lanka, and fearful of losing his life. I commend the thoughtful actions of the Govt of Maldives. My best wishes to the people of Sri Lanka," Nasheed, the former president who had negotiated Rajapaksa's escape to the Maldives, said in a tweet.
On Saturday, Rajapaksa had announced to step down on July 13 after thousands of protesters stormed his official residence, blaming him for the unprecedented economic crisis that has brought the country to its knees. -- PTI
20:35 BJP retains Piyush Goyal as its leader in Rajya Sabha
The Bharatiya Janata Party has retained Union minister Piyush Goyal as its leader in the Rajya Sabha, paving the way for him to continue as the Leader of the House following his election to Parliament for a third term.
Goyal (58) was the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha prior to his third term as well, so it will be a mere formality necessitated by his fresh term.
Sources said the ruling BJP has communicated its decision to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.
The saffron party will also have to pick its deputy leader in the Upper House of Parliament as the term of former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who held the position, ended recently. -- PTI
20:25 Lalit Modi and Sushmita Sen make it official on Twitter
Lalit Kumar Modi, the former IPL czar, and actor-model-Miss Universe 1994 are a couple.
Making their relationship official on Twitter, Modi posted photographs of the couple over the years, and tweeted:
'Just back in london after a whirling global tour #maldives # sardinia with the families - not to mention my #betterhalf @sushmitasen47 - a new beginning a new life finally. Over the moon.'
Naturally, his post was accompanied by a profusion of heart emojis.
20:18 Kerala reports first monkeypox case in India
A person who returned to Kerala from abroad and was hospitalised after showing signs of monkeypox tested positive for the same, state health minister Veena George said on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, the minister told reporters that his samples of the symptomatic person have been collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology for testing.
George said that the person showed symptoms of monkeypox and he was in close contact with a monkeypox patient abroad. In the evening, she confirmed that he tested positive for the virus.
It is the first case of the virus in Kerala. According to the World Health Organisation, 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.
With the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and subsequent cessation of smallpox vaccination, monkeypox has emerged as the most important orthopoxvirus for public health. -- PTI
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20:03 10 rescued as fire breaks out in hotel in central Delhi
Ten people were rescued after a fire broke out at a hotel in central Delhi's Paharganj area early Thursday morning, officials said.
They said a call about a blaze at 'Roma Delux' hotel in Paharganj was received around 4.24 am, following which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
The fire broke out in a room on the second floor of the building.
Ten people were evacuated safely from second and third floors, a senior fire official said, adding that no casualty was reported in the incident.
Ritik Kapoor, owner of the hotel, said that the incident took place around 4 am.
"There was some electricity issue in the night and an air-conditioner of one of the rooms on the second floor was tripping again and again. When the occupant approached the staff with this issue, they switched on the AC which led to a minor short circuit that triggered the blaze. Our staff used the fire extinguisher to douse the blaze," he said.
"We have shifted the occupants to another hotel. We are running this hotel for the past 20 years and nothing like this has happened before. The hotel comprises 23 rooms," Kapoor said.
On May 13, at least 27 people were burnt or asphyxiated after a roaring fire engulfed a commercial building in Delhi's Mundka area. -- PTI
19:50 Rishi Sunak wins 2nd round in UK PM race
Rishi Sunak tightened his grip on the race to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and British prime minister as he bagged 101 votes to again emerge as the winner of the latest voting round on Thursday.
There are now five candidates left in the Tory leadership contest after Suella Braverman, the Indian-origin Attorney General in the fray, was knocked off the shortlist with the least votes at 27.
Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt (83 votes), Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (64 votes), former minister Kemi Badenoch (49 votes) and Tory backbencher Tom Tugendhat (32 votes) remain on the ballot in the narrowing race after the second round of votes were cast by lawmakers.
The next few rounds of voting among Conservative Party members of Parliament to whittle this list down to just two by next Thursday is scheduled for early next week.
19:29 13 criminals backed by Bishnoi-Rinda arrested by Punjab police
Thirteen criminals backed by gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Harvinder Rinda were arrested on Thursday, a top Punjab police official said in Chandigarh.
Addressing the media, inspector general of police Sukhchain Singh Gill said nine of those arrested were sharp-shooters.
Thirteen weapons were seized from those arrested, he added.
They had plans to commit several crimes, including murders and robberies, Gill said.
They were chased down by the Jalandhar (Rural) police after a two-week-long operation led by special teams, he said.
On June 29, 11 people involved in heinous crimes and backed by Bishnoi and Rinda were arrested.
Gill said that since their arrest, the Jalandhar police have been working on some leads to arrest the remaining associates of their gang.
The officer said all those arrested were history-sheeters and facing cases of heinous crimes in several districts, including Ludhiana, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Jalandhar, Khanna, Mohali, and Patiala.
The officer said the gang was active in most districts in Punjab for the last four years.
Its members have been involved in crimes, including murder, armed dacoity, organised extortion and highway robbery. -- PTI
19:09 CBI books Choksi for Rs 55 cr Canara Bank fraud
The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a fresh FIR against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi for allegedly cheating a Canara Bank-led consortium to the tune of Rs 55.27 crore, officials said on Thursday.
The agency has also booked Bezel Jewellery and its whole-time directors, including Choksi, Chetna Jhaveri, Dinesh Bhatia and Milind Limaye.
The Canara Bank and the Bank of Maharashtra had sanctioned Rs 30 crore and Rs 25 crore respectively as working capital facility under a consortium agreement to Bezel Jewellery.
It is alleged that though the loan was granted for the manufacturing and sale of gold and diamond-studded jewellery, the company did not route any of the business transactions through the account to hide diversion of funds.
The company did not repay the loan, causing a loss of Rs 55.27 crore to the consortium, the agency has alleged.
Choksi is already wanted in a Rs 13,500-crore scam in the Punjab National Bank, along with his nephew Nirav Modi.
Choksi has taken the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda, where he is settled since he fled India in 2018. -- PTI
19:00 Prithviraj Sukumaran finishes filming 'Aadujeevitham'
South star Prithviraj Sukumaran on Thursday announced that he has completed the shoot of his long-in-the-works survival drama Aadujeevitham.
Directed by Blessy, the Malayalam-language movie is based on the novel of the same name by noted writer Benyamin.
The 39-year-old actor shared a post on Instagram following the wrap.
"Four years, a thousand obstacles, a million challenges, three waves of a pandemic'one spectacular vision! Blessy's #Aadujeevitham '. Pack up!," Sukumaran wrote alongside a photo from the sets of the movie.
The principal photography on the project began in March 2018 in Kerala.
About 58 people including Sukumaran, Blessy and crew members were stuck in the Arabian desert of Wadi Rum (Valley of the Moon) in Jordan in March 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
At the time the team had sought help from Indian authorities for their safe return. -- PTI
18:39 Gotabaya allowed entry on private visit: Singapore
Singapore on Thursday said it has allowed Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to enter the city-state on a "private visit" and there was no request for asylum from him, a day after he fled the country in the face of public revolt against his government's mishandling of the economy.
A Saudi airlines flight - SV 788 - carrying Rajapaksa landed at the Singapore Changi International Airport shortly after 7 pm (local time). In response to the media queries, a spokesperson for Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that President Rajapaksa has been "allowed entry into Singapore on a private visit".
He has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum. Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum, the spokesperson added.
Rajapaksa, the 73-year-old leader who had promised to resign on Wednesday, appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the acting President hours after he fled the country, escalating the political crisis and triggering a fresh wave of protests in the island nation. -- PTI
File pic: Supporters of OPS at the party HQ in Chennai
18:30 Palaniswami expels OPS's sons, 16 supporters from party
AIADMK interim chief K Palaniswami expels O Panneerselvam's sons, 16 other supporters of the ousted leader from the party.
Yesterday, Palaniswami announced the appointment of two senior leaders as deputy general secretaries of the party.
He urged the party workers to extend their cooperation to the new functionaries.
On Monday, Panneerselvam, three-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, till recently coordinator and treasurer, was expelled from the party, and . Palaniswami was elected interim general secretary.
18:25 ED gets 4-day remand of former NSE CEO
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.
BJP president JP Nadda
18:11 Donations to BJP plunged 40% during 2020-21
The donations that recognised national parties received during financial year 2020-21 decreased by over Rs 420 crore, a sharp fall of 41.49 per cent from the previous fiscal, a poll reform advocacy group said on Thursday.
The fall in donations could apparently be due to the Covid-19 pandemic which had triggered a lockdown. The first wave of Covid started around the end of March 2020, just before the start of the financial year, triggering a nationwide lockdown.
Donations to the BJP decreased from Rs 785.77 crore during FY 2019-20 to Rs 477.54 crore during FY 2020-21 -- a fall of 39.23 per cent. The party's donations had increased by 5.88 per cent during FY 2019-20 in comparison to FY 2018-19, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said in a statement.
The donations received by Congress plunged from Rs 139.016 crore during FY 2019-20 to Rs 74.524 crore during FY 2020-21 -- a reduction of 46.39 per cent.
Its donations had decreased by 6.44 per cent between FY 2018-19 and FY 2019-20, the statement said. A total of over Rs 246 crore was donated to the national parties from Delhi, followed by Rs 71.68 crore from Maharashtra and over Rs 47 crore from Gujarat.
Donations totalling Rs 37.912 crore (6.39 per cent of the aggregate received by the national parties in FY 2020-21) could not be attributed to any state or union territory due to incomplete or undeclared information provided by the parties, it said. BJP, BSP, Congress, CPI, CPI-M, TMC, NCP and National People's Party are the eight recognised national parties.
A protester at a press conference
17:59 Lanka protestors: Will leave govt buildings, but...
"Everything (buildings stormed by protesters) is being cleared but the President's Secretariat will still be for the people. We want to show we're capable. If we leave here, we can come back the next minute if we want," Danish Ali, a Sri Lankan protester at a press conference in Colombo.
Yesterday, shortly after Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker said that he is yet to receive Gotabaya Rajapaksa's letter of resignation, thousands of protestors took to the street and some of them stormed the Prime Minister's residence in Colombo demanding the President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to quit.
Dramatic visuals came from Sri Lankan PM's house where a huge military is present inside the house to prevent the protesters from coming inside the house but failed to do. They used tear gas to disperse them.
The people are protesting against the Prime Minister who is tipped to be appointed as the acting president. According to Sri Lankan Constitution, when there is no President, the PM will be appointed as the acting President but the protesters are not happy with this decision and this is the reason they are demanding Wickremesinghe to resign.
17:32 The losers at the markets today
Among the Sensex constituents, Sun Pharma, Dr Reddy's Lab, HDFC, Larsen & Toubro, IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank, ITC and ICICI Bank were the prominent gainers. Tata Steel, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra and State Bank of India were the laggards.
17:31 Gotabaya Rajapaksa reaches Singapore
A Saudi Airlines plane, believed to be carrying Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, arrives on the tarmac at Singapore's Changi Airport.
Rajapaksa left the Maldives for Singapore earlier today.
Rajapaksa, his wife Ioma Rajapaksa, and two security officials were scheduled to board a Singapore Airlines flight last night from Male to Singapore but did not go ahead as scheduled due to security concerns, according to the Daily Mirror.
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.
Later, Rajapaksa along with his wife escaped to the Maldives. Subsequently, he appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the interim President of Sri Lanka.
17:26 Zubair moves SC to quash all FIRs registered against him in UP
Fact-checking website Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair approached the Supreme Court seeking to quash all six FIRs registered against him in Uttar Pradesh and also challenged the constitution of SIT.
He also sought clubbing of all the FIRs registered against him.
Zubair in his plea challenged the FIRs registered at Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad and two at Hathras. The plea also challenged the constitution of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the Uttar Pradesh government.
Uttar Pradesh government had this week formed the SIT to investigate the six cases registered against Zubair in various districts of the State.
17:23 Singer Daler Mehndi sentenced to jail for 2 years
Singer Daler Mehndi sentenced to two years imprisonment in a human trafficking case of 2003. He has been taken into custody by the police. His application for release on probation also dismissed by court, says Advocate Gurmeet Singh, the complainant's lawyer.
Daler Mehndi and his brother took two troupes in 1998 and 1999 during the course of which 10 persons were taken to the US as group members and "dropped off" illegally.
Daler, on a trip to the US in the company of an actress, had allegedly "dropped off" three girls at San Francisco.
17:18 Droupadi Murmu arrives in Mumbai to meet MPs, MLAs
The National Democratic Alliance's Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu arrived in Mumbai on Thursday afternoon to meet and interact with the ruling alliance's MPs and MLAs.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis received her at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
She was accompanied by BJP leader Vinod Tawde.
Murmu then headed to a private hotel near the airport to meet the BJP MLAs and members of parliament along with rebel Shiv Sena MLAs of the Shinde camp.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had on Tuesday announced his party's support for Murmu for the July 18 presidential election. However, Murmu is not scheduled to meet Thackeray at his residence here, party sources said.
17:07 No word has been banned: Speaker on gag order
"No word has been banned," says Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on the uproar by Opposition leaders over new words categorised as 'unparliamentary'.
"Have they (the Opposition) read this 1100-page dictionary (comprising unparliamentary words)? If they had, they would not have spread this misconception. It's been released in 1954...1986, 1992, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2010... It was then released on a yearly basis since 2010.
"To avoid wastage of paper, we have put it on the internet. No words have been banned. We have issued a compilation of the words that have been expunged," the Speaker clarified.
The Congress and Trinamool Congress on Thursday slammed the "gag order" on usage of certain words in Parliament, saying all terms used by the Opposition to describe the Modi dispensation will now to be considered "unparliamentary".
According to a new booklet by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, use of terms like 'jumlajeevi', 'baal buddhi', 'Covid spreader' and 'Snoopgate' and even commonly used words like 'ashamed', 'abused, 'betrayed', 'corrupt', 'drama', 'hypocrisy' and 'incompetent' will henceforth be considered unparliamentary in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Slamming the move, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "All words used by the Opposition to describe the reality of Modi Sarkar now to be considered 'unparliamentary'. What next Vishguru".
Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala also said, "Saheb knows his qualities very well".
16:52 Other Rajapaksas won't leave Lanka till SC order
Sri Lanka's former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and ex-finance minister Basil Rajapaksa on Thursday gave an undertaking to the Supreme Court through their lawyers that they will not leave the crisis-hit country until the Fundamental Rights petition filed against them is heard on Friday, a media report said on Thursday.
A five-judge bench of Lankan Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Justice Buwaneka Aluwihare, Justice Priyantha Jayawardena, Justice Vijith Malalgoda, and Justice LTB Dehideniya are scheduled to hear on Friday the petition against the two members of the erstwhile powerful Rajapaksa family, the Daily Mirror Lanka website reported.
A petition was filed in the apex court as Basil Rajapaksa, the younger brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was earlier on Tuesday turned back at the Colombo airport as he attempted to leave the country through the VIP terminal. Basil, 71, tried to leave the bankrupt island nation a day before Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives from where he appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the acting President, escalating political crisis and triggering a fresh wave of protests in the country reeling under the worst financial crisis in decades.
Basil, a US passport holder, resigned as finance minister in early April as street protests intensified against shortages of fuel, food and other necessities and quit his seat in parliament in June.
Basil is being widely held responsible for the country's worst economic crisis which has heaped misery on the people.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, the patriarch of the Rajapaksa clan, resigned from the post of prime minister on May 9, hours after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters outside Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office.
Mahinda, 76, was earlier in May barred by a Sri Lankan court from travelling abroad in view of investigations against them for the deadly attack on anti-government protesters in Colombo. The former prime minister was being protected at the country's Trincomalee naval base following his resignation from the post.
16:37 Modi addresses meet with US, UAE, Israel
India, Israel, UAE, US convened for the first leaders' meeting of the I2U2 Group with a particular focus on joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security to mobilize private sector capital.
"Under the I2U2 framework, we've agreed on increasing the joint investment in six important areas of water, energy, transport, space, health & food security. It is clear that the vision and agenda of I2U2 are progressive and practical," Modi says.
"From this very first summit, I2U2 has established a positive agenda. We have identified joint projects in various sectors and prepared a roadmap to go ahead," Modi added.
The PM said that mobilising mutual strength, capital, expertise and markets, we can speed up our agenda and make important contributions to the global economy. Amid increasing global uncertainty, our cooperative framework is also a good model for practical cooperation.
US President Joe Biden spoke earlier saying, "The challenges we face today include accelerating climate crisis or growing food insecurity, volatile energy markets made worse by Russia's brutal and unprovoked attack against Ukraine. Right now there is a vacuum, over the next 3 years, this group is going to work to identify new infrastructure projects that we can invest in and develop together...We can do a great deal if we stick together."
16:29 Sensex, Nifty slide for 4th day; IT, banking shares drop
Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty gave up early gains to close lower for a fourth straight session on Thursday due to selling in IT and banking shares amid weak global equities.
The 30-share BSE benchmark settled 98 points or 0.18 per cent lower at 53,416.15. During the day, it hit a high of 53,861.28 and a low of 53,163.77.
The broader NSE Nifty also pared initial gains and ended 28 points or 0.18 per cent down to settle at 15,938.65. Among the Sensex constituents, Axis Bank declined the most by 1.74 per cent.
HCL Technologies, State Bank of India, Tech Mahindra, TCS, Wipro, UltraTech Cement and ITC were the major laggards. Sun Pharma, Dr Reddy's Lab, Maruti Suzuki India, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Titan and Reliance Industries were among the gainers.
16:27 After phuchkas, Mamata makes momos in Darjeeling
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to making momos at a roadside shop in Darjeeling on Thursday, two days after she served phuchka or pani puri to the people of the Hills.
In a video clip shared by her on social media, Banerjee can be seen interacting with women at the shop as she tries her hand at making the dumplings.
"Today I made momos during my morning walk, in Darjeeling. Elated to share such special moments with my people. Darjeeling will always have my heart and I salute the hard-working people of our Hills who make every visit so memorable," she posted on Facebook.
Banerjee, who is on a three-day visit to Darjeeling, had on Tuesday attended the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected members of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).
Shortly after, she was found serving phuchkas to people, videos of which went viral on social media.
16:16 Arvind Panagariya meets Modi
Former vice chairman Niti Aayog and currently professor at Columbia university, US, Arvind Panagariya meets PM Modi. "It is always invigorating to meet with and listen to PM @narendramodi. He told me about the transformation under way through Gati-Shakti and numerous other initiatives. We also discussed many policy issues. Thank you Prime Minister!" the eminent economist tweeted.
Panagariya who quit Niti in 2017 is believed to have written to Modi on the hardships the demonetisation exercise inflicted on the public, and wanted no scrutiny of those who'd deposited up to Rs 2.5 lakh. He was also reportedly unhappy with the pace of reforms in the first two years of the Modi government, says reports.
15:53 Delhi court reserves order on Zubair's bail plea
A Delhi court Thursday reserved the order on the bail plea filed by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in a case related to an objectionable tweet he had posted in 2018 against a Hindu deity for Friday.
Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala reserved the order after hearing arguments from the counsel appearing for the accused as well as the prosecution.
A magisterial court had on July 2 dismissed his bail plea and sent him to 14-day judicial custody (JC) in the case, citing the nature and gravity of the offences against the accused and observing that the matter was at the initial stage of the investigation. PTI
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut
15:30 Bailable warrant against Sanjay Raut cancelled
A Mumbai court on Thursday cancelled a bailable warrant issued against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut after he appeared before it in connection with a defamation complaint filed by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya's wife Medha Somaiya.
The Sewri metropolitan magistrate's court had last month issued a process (summons) against Raut, asking him to appear before it on July 4. However, he did not turn up before the court then following which a bailable warrant was issued against him.
On Thursday, Raut along with his lawyers appeared before the magistrate and moved a plea for cancellation of the warrant, which the court allowed. The court also accepted the Rajya Sabha member's bail plea and released him on a personal bond of Rs 15,000. -- PTI
15:13 IAF on alert, NDRF deployed: CM on Maha floods
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde on the flood situation in Maharashtra: "We are in touch with the district magistrates of the flood-affected districts. We are keeping an eye on the situation for the next 24 hours. NDRF deployed and IAF kept on alert," Shinde said.
In other news from the state, Eknath Shinde on Thursday restored the pension scheme meant for those political activists who were imprisoned during the Emergency imposed in 1975. The scheme, which was introduced by the Devendra Fadnavis government in 2018, was scrapped by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) dispensation in 2020.
The Fadnavis government, which was in power between 2014 and 2019, had taken the decision to provide pension to the activists, who had protested against the Emergency imposed by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
14:38 No govt exists, says Raut as floods ravage Maha
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday claimed there is no government existing in Maharashtra at present as the Eknath Shinde-led dispensation is "illegal", and asked where Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari is when rains are wreaking havoc in the state.
Talking to reporters, Raut said cholera has broken out in many parts of the state that has resulted in deaths.
"Maharashtra is again under a lockdown. Nearly 100 people have died due to floods," he said.
According to the state government figures, 83 people have died due to rain-related incidents between June 1 and July 10. These deaths were caused by incidents like floods, lightning strikes, landslides, falling of trees and collapse of structures, among others, the state disaster management authority had said in a report.
On Wednesday, the state health department said 181 people have been infected with cholera, of whom five have died.
"In such a situation, no government exists in the state. There is no government in the state because this is an illegal government," Raut said. "Where is our governor now? There is no government in the state, there is no cabinet," he said.
The Shiv Sena insists that the new government has been illegally sworn in as the disqualification pleas of Shinde and the 39 rebel Sena MLAs are pending before the Supreme Court.
The 40 MLAs had rebelled against the party leadership, leading to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the last week of June. "Floods are wreaking havoc in the state. Where is the governor? He was guiding us till yesterday. Now where is he? His guidance is now needed for the state," Raut said. -- PTI
People navigate flooded streets in Navsari
14:33 350 people relocated from low lying areas of Valsad
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 told ANI.
"Currently, the dam level of Auranga river is 3.41 metres and we have shifted around 350 people, with the help of (local) administration, NDRF, Police team, Revenue administration, and the Municipality," he said further.
The Sabarmati riverfront
14:09 Shah elated over Ahmedabad's inclusion in TIME greatest places list
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday congratulated everyone over the inclusion of India's first UNESCO world heritage city Ahmedabad in TIME magazine's list of 'World's 50 Greatest Places of 2022'.
Shah said that since 2001, visionary ideas of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the then chief minister of Gujarat, have laid the foundation for creating world-class infrastructure in the state.
"Be it the Sabarmati river front or the science city in Ahmedabad, Modi has always stressed on creating next-generation infrastructure and making India 'future-ready'," he said in a series of tweets.
"Matter of immense pride for every Indian, especially the people of Gujarat that India's first UNESCO world heritage city, Ahmedabad, has now been included in the list of the 'World's 50 Greatest Places of 2022' by Time magazine. Congratulations to everyone," Shah tweeted. PTI
13:49 Maharashtra govt cuts VAT on petrol, diesel
The Maharashtra government has decided to reduce value added tax on petrol and diesel by Rs 5 and Rs 3 per litre respectively, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Thursday.
Shinde informed reporters after a cabinet meeting at Mantralaya that the decision would entail a burden of Rs 6,000 crore on the state exchequer.
Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said the decision was part of the Shiv Sena-BJP government's commitment to people's welfare. -- PTI
13:20 Gotabaya headed to Saudi Arabia via Singapore
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajpakasa boarded a Saudi Airlines plane today that will take him to Singapore and then to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, reports AP citing Maldives government officials.
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.
13:03 TN CM hospitalised
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin admitted to a private hospital in Chennai for "investigation and observation for Covid-19-related symptoms."
12:58 UK PM race shows its a mature democracy
There are more Muslim MPs in Britain's ruling Conservative Party than there are in India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Many of these Muslim MPs are of South Asian origin: making the difference between our ruling party and Britain's even more startling.
Has Britain become a diverse society, where minorities get a share of power? Or is it just that India is a diverse society where minorities are kept away from power, asks Vir Sanghvi. Read the column here.
Trucks traverse a flooded road
12:46 Gujarat deluge: 45 people stranded in Vadodara
Heavy rains lashed several parts of Gujarat in the last 24 hours and many areas in Navsari went under knee-deep water as some rivers in the district were in spate, officials said on Thursday.
Authorities rescued 45 people stranded in Tapi and Vadodara districts in the early hours of Thursday, a state government release said. Heavy showers have been lashing many parts of the state since the last four days.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rains during the day at several places across Gujarat, including north and south parts of the state and the Saurashtra region.
Vansda taluka in south Gujarat's Navsari district received a whopping 394 mm rainfall in the last 24-hour period ending at 8 am of Thursday, a release from the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) said.
Kaprada and Dharampur taluka in Valsad district received 377 mm and 340 mm rains, respectively, during the same time period. Dharampur taluka in Valsad district and Ranavav in Porbandar received 99 mm and 58 mm downpour, respectively, in just two hours from 6 am on Thursday, the SEOC said.
Due to incessant rains and rising levels of the Purna and Ambika rivers, many areas in Navsari city, Bilimora town and other parts of the district were under knee-deep inundation, officials said. -- PTI
12:24 Oppn slams ban on words critical of govt in Parl
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.
12:17 UP court sends Zubair to jail for 14 days
Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair sent to 14-day judicial custody after he appeared before Hathras court after 2 cases were registered against him in the district in 2018.
Zubair was presented in the court in a case registered against him under section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, etc.), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class), 298 (Uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) of Indian Penal Code and section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of Information Technology Act.
Earlier, the Supreme Court extended the interim bail of Zubair till further orders in a case lodged against him in the Sitapur district for allegedly outraging religious sentiments.
The FIR was lodged on June 1 on a complaint filed by Hindu Sher Sena district president Bhagwan Sharan for a tweet by Zubair in which he called three Hindu seers -- Yati Narasinghanand Saraswati, Bajrang Muni and Anand Swaroop "hate-mongers".
11:52 Uddhav-faction MLAs to skip meet with Murmu
Shiv Sena MLAs and MPs loyal to former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray will not attend a meeting to be held in Mumbai on Thursday for the presidential poll campaign of National Democratic Alliance nominee Droupadi Murmu.
"We are not going for the meeting. There is no message yet whether Murmu will visit Uddhavji at 'Matoshree'," Sena's Sindhudurg MP Vinayak Raut told PTI.
'Matoshree' is the private residence of Thackeray in Bandra area of Mumbai. Thackeray on Tuesday announced his party's support for Murmu in the July 18 presidential election. He had said the Sena was announcing support for Murmu without any pressure, while acknowledging that this is the first occasion wherein a tribal woman is getting the opportunity to become the country's president.
The Shiv Sena has 19 members in the Lok Sabha and three in the Rajya Sabha. It has 55 MLAs in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, whose current strength is 287 due to the death of a legislator.
Out of the 55 Sena MLAs, 15 are with Thackeray, while the others have joined the faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Last month, a rebellion led by Shinde against the party leadership led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led tripartite government comprising the Sena, NCP and Congress. Murmu had earlier served as the governor of Jharkhand. The Opposition has fielded former Union minister Yashwant Sinha against Murmu in the presidential election.
11:35 Demolitions, Agnipath, J-K attacks to figure in Parl
"Demolition of homes due to protests" in some parts of the country, reservation of jobs for 'Agniveers' in paramilitary forces, riots and police firings are a host of subjects expected to be raised by MPs in the monsoon session of Parliament beginning Monday.
According to the tentative list of questions related to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, issues like attacks on Kashmiri Pandits and migrant workers in the Kashmir Valley, safety of RTI activists, status of Census 2021 and details of cases registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act would be raised by the parliamentarians.
The "demolition of homes due to protests" is listed as a starred question in the Rajya Sabha. In a starred question, the MPs are allowed to ask supplementary questions during the 'Question Hour', while unstarred questions are those whose replies come from the government as written answers.
There were several incidents, including in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, where homes of those allegedly involved in violent protests were demolished by authorities over claims that these were built illegally and there were irregularities in land documents.
Though "Reservation for Agniveers in paramilitary forces" has been marked as an unstarred question, the issue is likely be raised by the opposition strongly orally too.
The Centre on June 14 had unveiled the ambitious 'Agnipath' scheme for the recruitment of youths aged between 17 and a half and 21 in the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis.
Those recruited under the scheme will be known as 'Agniveers'.
After the completion of the four-year tenure, 25 per cent of the recruits from each batch will be offered regular service. There have been protests and violence by job aspiring youths against the scheme.
The Union Home Ministry had announced that 10 per cent vacancies for recruitment in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) or the paramilitary forces will be reserved for the 'Agniveers'.
Issues like compensation provided to the families of the paramilitary personnel, attacks carried out by the Naxals, riots, curfews and police firings, smuggling of drugs and narcotics from across the border, incidents of terror attacks are expected to be raised during the monsoon session.
11:21 Kangana unveils first look as Indira Gandhi
Kangana Ranaut unveiled her first look as the late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from her upcoming film Emergency. Kangana announced her directorial 'Emergency' last year. Taking to Instagram, she shared her look where she can be seen dressed in a saree and holding her glasses in her hand. Sharing the poster, she wrote, "Presenting #EmergencyFirstLook!Portraying one of the most powerful and controversial women in the history of the world' #Emergency shoot begins."
11:06 Protestors spend night inside Lanka PM's office
Protestors continue to remain inside the premises of Sri Lanka's PM office in Colombo after they entered it yesterday. The broke barricades and entered the premises yesterday morning amid tear gas shelling.
A nationwide curfew was 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.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following the situation in Sri Lanka very closely and has urged all party leaders to 'embrace the spirit of compromise' for a peaceful and democratic transition.
The comments by Guterres came as embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday fled to the Maldives on a military jet, hours before he was supposed to step down in the face of a public revolt against him and his family for mishandling the economy that has bankrupted the country.
10:58 Droupadi Murmu to meet MPs, MLAs in Mumbai today
The National Democratic Alliance's presidential election nominee Droupadi Murmu will meet the ruling alliance MPs and MLAs in Mumbai on Thursday as part of the campaign to seek support for her candidature.
The meeting is scheduled at a suburban hotel, before which a luncheon has been organised with the parliamentarians and legislators, sources said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis will welcome Murmu on her arrival at the airport in Mumbai.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday announced his party's support for Murmu for the July 18 presidential election. But, it is not known if she will meet Thackeray. The Opposition has fielded Yashwant Sinha against Murmu in the presidential election.
10:56 Fresh batch of over 5000 pilgrims leaves for Amarnath shrine
Amid tight security, another batch of over 5,000 pilgrims on Thursday left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here to offer prayers at the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.
The 15th batch comprising 5,449 pilgrims left in a convoy of 201 vehicles for the twin base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam and Baltal in the early hours, they said.
The officials said 1,666 pilgrims including 536 women and 43 children heading for Baltal in 61 vehicles were the first to leave the Bhagwati Nagar camp around 3.20 am, followed by the second convoy of 140 vehicles for Pahalgam, carrying 3,783 pilgrims including 702 women, 103 sadhus and 54 children at around 4.20 am.
So far, over 1.45 lakh pilgrims have offered their prayers at the cave shrine, housing the naturally-formed ice shivling, despite a three-day suspension in the wake of flash floods triggered by heavy rains near the cave shrine on July 8 which left 16 people dead.
A total of 88,526 pilgrims have left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp for the Valley since June 29, the day the first batch of pilgrims was flagged off by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
10:31 Suspected monkeypox case found in Kerala
A person who returned from abroad has been admitted to a hospital in Kerala after he showed symptoms of monkeypox, state Health Minister Veena George said on Thursday.
The minister said his samples have been collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology for testing. She said the disease could be confirmed only after getting the test results.
Without revealing more details, George said the person showed symptoms of monkeypox and he was in close contact with a monkeypox patient abroad. According to the 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.
With the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and subsequent cessation of smallpox vaccination, monkeypox has emerged as the most important orthopoxvirus for public health. PTI
10:24 India reports over 20k Covid cases after 145 days
Daily COVID-19 cases in India were recorded over 20,000 after a gap of 145 days while the active cases increased to 1,36,076, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Thursday.
A total of 20,139 new COVID-19 cases were reported in a span of 24 hours, pushing the total tally of cases to 4,36,89,989.
The death toll climbed to 5,25,557 with 38 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The active cases comprise 0.31 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.49 per cent, the ministry said.
09:56 Lanka lifts curfew, no signs of Gotabaya's resignation
Sri Lankan authorities on Thursday lifted the curfew, which was imposed in the Western province after the eruption of violence in Colombo, even as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has fled to the Maldives, was yet to submit his resignation letter.
Rajapaksa, the 73-year-old leader who had promised to resign on Wednesday, appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the acting President hours after he fled the country, escalating the political crisis and triggering a fresh wave of protests.
At least 84 people were hospitalised when protesters clashed with the security forces at the prime minister's office and at the main access junction to Parliament since mid-afternoon on Wednesday after Rajapaksa fled the country.
The police fired tear gas and water cannons at the mob who were trying to break barriers and enter the restricted zone.
The police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said protesters had grabbed a T56 firearm and 60 bullets from a Sri Lanka Army soldier. A police complaint had been lodged, the police said.
Authorities had to impose a curfew in the Western province following the eruption of violence.
Wednesday's protests were more directed at Wickremesinghe. Calls for his resignation intensified after he was appointed the acting president.
Political party leaders are asking him to step down so that Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena can take control as acting president.
Wickremesinghe in a statement asked the Speaker to find a suitable nominee to become the prime minister in an all-party interim government.
However, the protesters have demanded that the interim government must only consist of politicians acceptable to them.
Meanwhile, President Rajapaksa failed to send in his resignation on Wednesday as pledged earlier.
He was likely to send his resignation letter only after reaching his final destination on Wednesday evening, Sri Lanka's The Morning news portal reported.
The media cited sources in the Maldives as saying that Rajapaksa had failed to board the Singapore-bound flight from Male due to security concerns on Wednesday night.
Rajapaksa reportedly had raised security concerns about taking a civilian flight and was urging the Maldives authorities for a private jet to land in Singapore.
Meanwhile, the protesters continued to occupy the key administrative buildings they had seized since Saturday. There is an endless stream of sight-seers at the buildings. Videos show the properties have suffered serious damages since they were occupied. -- PTI
09:18 Lanka Prez to go to Singapore from Maldives: Report
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has fled to the Maldives, could not board a scheduled Singapore Airlines flight from Male to Singapore due to security concerns and is now waiting to travel on a private aircraft, according to a media report on Thursday.
Rajapaksa, the 73-year-old leader who had promised to resign on Wednesday, appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the acting President hours after he fled the country, escalating the political crisis and triggering a fresh wave of protests.
Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that Rajapaksa had appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe to act to perform his functions while he is abroad.
Rajapaksa, his wife Loma and their two security officers were expected to leave for Singapore on board SQ437 from Male on Wednesday night but did not board the aircraft due to security concerns, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.
He instead will now await to travel on a private aircraft, the newspaper said quoting sources.
Talks are now ongoing to secure a private aircraft for the embattled Sri Lankan President to depart from the Maldives to Singapore, it said.
Meanwhile, Abeywardena said that he is yet to receive the resignation letter from President Rajapaksa.
Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe last week said Sri Lanka is now a bankrupt country.
Last week, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka is now a bankrupt country. -- PTI
Representative image
08:54 Delhi Police to visit homes of senior citizens everyday under new initiative
In a noble initiative, Delhi Police's beat staff will visit homes of the elderly living alone in southwest district every evening and connect them with their children through phone or video calls, officials said on Wednesday.
The step comes after a 93-year-old woman died alone inside her house at Safdarjung Enclave in south Delhi. Her body was kept in the mortuary for at least five days until her son returned from the United States for her final rites.
She had been living alone for several years since the death of her husband.
The incident made the district police come out with a way to deal with the loneliness of senior citizens, especially those whose children are abroad and hardly get to connect with them.
Police said the elderly citizens living alone in the area told the security personnel that their children did not call them or contacted them after months.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Manoj C said, "A total of 3,347 elderly people are registered with Senior Citizen's Cell of the district, of which 1,075 live alone, 1,167 stay with their spouses and 1,105 reside with their family members. The police beat staff regularly visits the residences of the elderly to know about their safety, security and well-being. Various steps have been taken for the welfare of senior citizens."
"During our interactions with the elderly, they often talk about their loneliness and express their desire to talk to their children and family members, which gives them immense happiness. But their children never call them or call after several months," he said.
The officer explained that every evening, cops will visit the residences of senior citizens and help them talk to their children. Evening hours have been chosen because of the time difference between India and foreign countries. Most of these elderly have children abroad, so evenings are the best time to talk to them through internet calls or otherwise.
Southwest district has upscale areas like Vasant Kunj, Vasant Vihar, Safdarjung Enclave and Satya Niketan, and police have also undertaken security audits of the residential premises of senior citizens, police said.
Regular verification of tenants, maids and fruit and vegetable vendors who regularly visit the residences of the elderly is done. CCTV cameras are also being installed in areas where senior citizens live, they said.
"During the visit, police staff also check safety equipment like cameras and safety alarms installed in the houses of the elderly. To improve security, senior citizens have been advised to install security equipment like door chains, magic eyes, iron grilles and safety locks," the DCP said. -- PTI
08:24 First I2U2 meet today, Modi to attend virtually
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to participate in the first Leaders' Summit of I2U2 virtually, along with leaders of Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States on Thursday.
The proposed virtual summit of India, Israel, the 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.
"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 said in a statement on Tuesday.
The I2U2 Grouping was conceptualized 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 modernize 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.
According to the MEA, these projects can serve as a model for economic cooperation and offer opportunities for our businesspersons and workers.
00:10 Lanka's CDS urges people to help restore order
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.
At the party leaders' meeting, 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. -- ANI
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