LIVE: No superpower can dictate terms to India, says Pakistan PM Imran Khan

Pakistan PM faces the possibility of being the first prime minister in Pakistan's history to be voted out in a no-confidence motion. Stay tuned for LIVE updates

Live news updates: Hours before a no-confidence vote against him in Parliament, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday seemed to accept the writing on the wall and urged his supporters to stage peaceful protests across the country when the "new imported government" comes into power on Sunday.

"I will not accept this imported government, I will take to street.Only people can bring me to power and I will come back with the help of the people," he said, adding that his supporters should come out on Sunday evening after the new government is expected to be set up.

Precaution dose of Covid-19 vaccines will be available to all aged above 18 years at private vaccination centres from April 10, the Union Health Ministry announced on Friday.

More than 30 people were killed and over 100 were wounded in a Russian rocket strike in east Ukraine on Friday as civilians tried to evacuate to safer parts of the country, the state railway company said.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday blocked Prime Minister Imran Khan’s bid to stay in power, ruling that his move to dissolve Parliament and call early elections was illegal. That set the stage for a no-confidence vote against Khan on Saturday by opposition lawmakers, who say they have enough support to oust him.

The UN General Assembly yesterday voted to suspend Russia from the world organization’s leading human rights body over allegations that Russian soldiers in Ukraine engaged in rights violations that the United States and Ukraine have called war crimes.

It was a rare, if not unprecedented rebuke against one of the five veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council. India abstained from voting to adopt a draft resolution moved by the US to suspend Russia from the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council.

11:52 PM

No superpower can dictate terms to India: Pak PM Imran Khan

11:40 PM

Imran Khan says he will not accept 'imported govt'; calls for street protests on Sunday

Hours before a no-confidence vote against him in Parliament, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday seemed to accept the writing on the wall and urged his supporters to stage peaceful protests across the country when the "new imported government" comes into power on Sunday.

 

In an address to the nation ahead of the no-trust motion on Saturday where he has little chances of surviving unless some miracle occurs, 69-year-old Khan also expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court's verdict on the National Assembly deputy speaker's controversial decision on the rejection of no-trust motion against him.

 

"I will not accept this imported government, I will take to street.Only people can bring me to power and I will come back with the help of the people," he said, adding that his supporters should come out on Sunday evening after the new government is expected to be set up.

11:13 PM

Over Rs 21K cr defence domestic capital procurement allocated for pvt firms

The Ministry of Defence has decided that 25 per cent of domestic capital procurement or acquisition budget, amounting to Rs 21,149.47 crore, will be earmarked for the domestic private industry in this financial year.

 

It is in continuation with the government's efforts to promote private industry, MSMEs and start-ups in the defence production eco-system.

 

Further, to foster innovation and encourage technology development in defence, it has also been decided that an amount of Rs 1,500 crore will be earmarked for procurement from start-ups, including iDEX start-up, from within the allocations for Domestic Capital Procurement. These steps will foster the growth of private industry, MSMEs and start-ups in the defence ecosystem.

11:03 PM

Pak PM Imran Khan says he will not accept 'imported government'; calls for street protests

A defiant Imran Khan said on Friday that he will not accept any "imported government" in Pakistan as he expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court's verdict on the National Assembly deputy speaker's controversial decision on the rejection of no-trust motion against him. In a live-address to the nation ahead of the no-trust motion on Saturday, 69-year-old Khan asked his supporters to join him on the street on Sunday evening.

 

"I respect the Supreme Court and the judiciary, but the apex court should have looked at a threat letter before issuing its verdict, Khan said in his address perhaps last to the nation as the prime minister of the country.

 

Khan, who has effectively lost the majority in the 342-member house, repeated his allegations that a US diplomat threatened regime change in Pakistan.

10:53 PM

There is rampant horse-trading in the opposition camp: Pakistan PM Imran Khan

10:31 PM

Oil prices set for weekly fall on stockpile releases

Oil prices were stable on Friday in choppy trading but remained on course for a second weekly fall after countries announced plans to release crude from their strategic stocks.

 

Brent crude futures were up 77 cents, or 0.77%, at $101.35 a barrel by 12:19 p.m ET (1619 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 90 cents to $96.93.

 

Both contracts are set to fall for a second consecutive week, with Brent on course for a 3% slide and WTI for a 2.4% decline. The benchmarks have been at their most volatile since June 2020 for weeks.

10:23 PM

I am upset with the Supreme Court's decision: Pakistan PM Imran Khan

10:22 PM

IBBI reduces timelines for activities under voluntary liquidation process

IBBI has notified amendments to voluntary liquidation process regulations wherein timelines, including for distribution of proceeds from realisation, have been reduced in order to ensure faster exit for firms.

 

The amended regulations have come into effect from April 5.

 

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) is a key institution in implementing the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). According to an official release, it has been noticed that there has been a substantial delay in the completion of voluntary liquidation process.

10:07 PM

FIH Pro League: Indian women stun Netherlands 2-1 in first match

The Indian women's hockey team stunned Olympic champions Netherlands 2-1 in the first match of their double leg FIH Pro League tie. The Indians scored through Neha (11th minute) and Sonika (28th), both from penalty corners, to hand the home team a 2-0 lead at half time. After the change of ends, the Netherlands scored from a penalty corner through Jansen Yibbi in the 40th minute to reduce the margin.

 

This was India's fourth win in the FIH Pro League.

 

Even though the Netherlands have arrived here with a second-string side, it was a creditable performance from the Indians as they were also without three key players -- Lalremsiami, Salima Tete and Sharmila Devi, who were part of India's historic fourth-place finish in the Tokyo Olympics.

9:53 PM

Ruchi Soya repays entire loans of Rs 2,925 crore

Edible oil major Ruchi Soya on Friday said it has repaid Rs 2,925 crore loans to banks and has become a debt-free company. Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved-led Ruchi Soya has recently raised Rs 4,300 crore through its follow-on public offer, and the part of the proceeds has been utilised to repay the debt.

 

Acharya Balkrishna, MD of Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, tweeted that Ruchi Soya has become debt-free.

 

In its draft red herring prospectus, the company had mentioned that it would repay loan of around Rs 1,950 crore to the lenders, a company spokesperson said.

9:42 PM

Delhi govt to launch upgraded version of Rozgar Bazaar portal by mid-July

The Delhi government is likely to launch its advanced Rozgar Bazaar 2.0 portal by mid-July to effectively connect job seekers with private sector employers, officials said Friday. The portal's initial version was launched in July 2020 during the first wave of coronavirus to bring together job-seekers and employers on a common platform.

 

The officials said the first phase of the initiative was a success as more than 13 lakh applicants registered on the portal for 4.5 lakh available jobs. The artificial intelligence-based Rozgar Bazaar 2.0 portal will be equipped with several new features like upskilling and career guidance job-seekers.

9:23 PM

Russia-Ukraine war will impact consumers across globe: FAO

The Russia-Ukraine war will impact consumers across the world as it has increased food, energy and fertilizers prices and put the next global harvests at risk, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, QU Dongyu, warned on Friday.

 

A global food crisis of this scale last seen in 2008, can still be averted, he added.

 

In an address to the 169th session of FAO's Council, convened to discuss the consequences of the war on global food security, Qu emphasised the importance of keeping global supply chains functioning and highlighted FAO's work on the ground.

 

The meeting was held as food prices posted a 12.6 per cent rise from February, reaching a new all-time high in March, with cereals and vegetable oils prices surging, according to FAO's latest Food Price Index.

9:18 PM

Russian strike kills 50 at Ukraine rail station

At least 50 persons were killed in Friday's air strike at a crowded rail station in eastern Ukraine's contested Donbas region. A Russian missile hit the Kramatorsk city train station where thousands of people had flocked to flee the war, Ukrainian authorities said.

 

Photos from the scene showed bodies covered with tarps on the ground and the remnants of a rocket with the words For the children painted on it in Russian.

 

About 4,000 civilians were in and around the station, the office of Ukraine's prosecutor-general said, adding that most were women and children heeding calls to leave the area before Russia launches a full-scale offensive in the country's east.

9:14 PM

President of the EU Commission visits Ukrainian town of Bucha

8:56 PM

Ukraine's Odessa introduces weekend curfew over 'missile strike threat', reports AFP

Ukraine's Odessa introduces weekend curfew over 'missile strike threat', reports AFP quoting authorities