Live: Sri Lanka has to 'get out of crisis', says new PM Wickremesinghe

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Live news updates: Sri Lanka appointed a new prime minister on Thursday, as its embattled president seeks a way out of the country's worst economic crisis since independence that has sparked widespread protests.
 

Ranil Wickremesinghe, a political veteran who has been prime minister of the island nation five times before, must try to address financial chaos and heal political divisions as he sets out to form a coalition government.

"We are facing a crisis, we have to get out of it," Wickremesinghe told Reuters as he left a temple in the main city of Colombo shortly after his swearing-in. Asked whether there was a possible solution, he replied: "Absolutely."

7:33 PM

Centre asks states to be prepared for monsoon to avoid losses

The Centre on Wednesday asked state governments to be prepared during the monsoon so that losses due to natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, and landslides can be minimised, PTI reported. In his address during the annual conference of relief commissioners and secretaries of departments of disaster management of various states and Union Territories, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla stressed the need for building up capacities and response reflexes to ensure round the clock preparedness throughout the year.

10:06 PM

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 517.16 mn: Reuters

More than 517.16 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 6,653,721​ have died, according to a Reuters tally. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

7:23 PM

TV ad volumes 3 pc in Jan-March: Monitor

Indian advertising on television channels declined by around 3 per cent to 443 million seconds in the January-March quarter as against the year-ago period, said a monitoring agency on Thursday. Advertising volumes declined despite an increase in the number of advertisers to 4,259 during the first quarter of the current calendar year as against 4,175 in the year-ago period, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) said. 

5:00 PM

Delhi Police serves notice to Rajasthan CM's aide in phone tapping case

The Delhi Police Crime Branch has served a fresh notice to Lokesh Sharma, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, asking him to appear before it on Saturday for questioning in a phone tapping case. The phone tapping controversy erupted in Rajasthan in July 2020. Audio clips of alleged telephonic conversations, apparently between Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Congress leaders surfaced amidst a rebellion against Gehlot by his then deputy Sachin Pilot and 18 party MLAs supporting him.

4:46 PM

Rajya Sabha elections for 57 seats on June 10

Elections will be held on June 10 to fill 57 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states falling vacant due to the retirement of members on different dates between June and August, the Election Commission said on Thursday. Prominent among those retiring are Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Congress leaders Ambika Soni, Jairam Ramesh and Kapil Sibal, and BSP's Satish Chandra Misra.

4:18 PM

Many Sri Lankans flee Colombo as crisis persists

Many Sri Lankans thronged buses in the main city Colombo on Thursday to return to their hometowns during a brief relaxation in curfew, imposed after the prime minister quit and went into hiding and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa warned of anarchy, Reuters reported. The island nation is battling its worst economic crisis since independence. Violence erupted on Monday after supporters of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president's elder brother, attacked an anti-government protest camp in Colombo, Reuters reported.

3:52 PM

Live: RBI intervenes to defend rupee, likely sold $700 mn dollars

The Reserve Bank of India likely sold $700 million dollars to prop up the rupee on Thursday as it plunged to a record low, according to three traders, amid broad based selling in Asian currency markets. The rupee fell as much as 0.5% to 77.63 to the dollar, its second record low in less than a week. The central bank intervened both in the spot and the futures market when the rupee hit 77.55-77.60, the traders, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters.

3:50 PM

Jharkhand govt suspends mining secretary arrested in laundering case

Jharkhand mining secretary Pooja Singhal earlier arrested and remanded to the custody of the ED in a suspected money laundering case was suspended by the Jharkhand government on Thursday, an official said. The ED had produced her before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court of Prabhat Kumar Sharma after two consecutive days of questioning by the central probe agency on Tuesday and Wednesday, PTI reported.

3:02 PM

Gyanvapi mosque: Court rejects plea to change official, survey to be completed by Tuesday

A district court here on Thursday rejected the plea to change the court-appointed advocate commissioner for conducting a video survey of the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex and appointed two additional advocate commissioners to assist him.

The court also directed for completion of the survey by May 17 and submission of its report, Abhay Nath Yadav, who is representing the Gyanvapi mosque management committee, said.

The court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar, which had also heard the matter relating to the opening of the two basements located inside the mosque complex for videography, delivered the verdict after hearing the arguments of both the sides.

2:59 PM

NSE scam: Court denies bail to Chitra Ramkrishna, Anand Subramanian

A special CBI court here on Thursday refused to grant bail to former NSE head Chitra Ramkrishna and former employee Anand Subramanian, who were arrested by the probe agency in connection with the NSE co-location case.

 

The special CBI judge of the Rouse Avenue court dismissed their bail applications after hearing the submissions.

 

Both Ramkrishna and Subramanian, currently lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody, have been charge-sheeted under various sections of the IPC.

 

The co-location scam denotes how some of the brokers, who in the co-location facility offered by the NSE, could place their servers within the stock exchange premises giving them faster access to the markets, had in connivance with insiders abused the algorithm and the facility to make windfall profits.

 

The CBI has been probing the case since May 2018.

2:56 PM

Cyclone Asani further weakens into depression, Odisha, Bengal heave sigh of relief

Cyclone Asani, which had turned into a deep depression over coastal Andhra Pradesh, has further weakened to a depression, the IMD said on Thursday, forecasting light to moderate rain in some districts of Odisha and West Bengal.

 

The weather system remained practically stationary during the last six hours and weakened to a depression, and is likely to turn into a well-marked low pressure area during the next 12 hours, it said in a bulletin.

 

Isolated places in coastal Andhra Pradesh could receive heavy rainfall during the next 24 hours, the weather office said.

 

It has forecast light to moderate rain or thundershower in some areas of Odisha from 8.30 am on Thursday to 8.30 am on Friday.

2:55 PM

Lankan Prez Gotabaya says will consider abolition of executive presidency; mum on resignation

Sri Lanka's embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, under immense pressure from the public and the Opposition to quit over the island nation's worst economic crisis, said on Thursday that the abolition of the executive presidency, a move that will curb his powers, will be considered by Parliament.

 

Abolishing the presidential system of governance, in existence in the country since 1978, and replacing it with a system that reinforces constitutional democracy, has been one of the key demands of the Opposition.

 

In a series of tweets, the President outlined the steps to be taken to end the current political impasse after his elder brother and prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Monday.

2:55 PM

Lankan Prez Gotabaya says will consider abolition of executive presidency; mum on resignation

Sri Lanka's embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, under immense pressure from the public and the Opposition to quit over the island nation's worst economic crisis, said on Thursday that the abolition of the executive presidency, a move that will curb his powers, will be considered by Parliament.

 

Abolishing the presidential system of governance, in existence in the country since 1978, and replacing it with a system that reinforces constitutional democracy, has been one of the key demands of the Opposition.

 

In a series of tweets, the President outlined the steps to be taken to end the current political impasse after his elder brother and prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Monday.

2:50 PM

Congress will be 'central pillar' of anti-BJP formation for 2024 polls: Sachin Pilot

The Congress is and will have to remain the "pivot" around which an anti-BJP coalition is formed and a "UPA plus plus'' formation would be the "best one" to take on the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 general elections, senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot said on Thursday.

 

In an interview with PTI ahead of the party's 'Chintan Shivir' starting here on Friday, Pilot asserted that formulating a successful electoral strategy would be a top agenda point at the three-day brainstorming session.

 

Accusing the ruling BJP of diverting people's attention from the real issues, he said "some fringe elements" are trying to change the name of some monuments and roads.

2:45 PM

PM Modi to visit Lumbini in Nepal on May 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to Lumbini in Nepal on May 16 on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

Modi is visiting the neighbouring country at the invitation of Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

It will be Prime Minister Modi's fifth visit to Nepal since 2014.

"At Lumbini, the prime minister will visit the sacred Mayadevi temple to offer prayers. The prime minister will also deliver an address at a Buddha Jayanti event organised by the Lumbini Development Trust under the aegis of the Government of Nepal," the MEA said.