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8:56 AM

Future generations will be indebted to Adi Shankaracharya: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Thursday offered prayers at the birthplace of saint-philosopher Adi Shankaracharya, said that generations to come will be indebted to the latter for his contributions to protect our culture.

 

In a late night tweet, after offering prayers at the saint-philosopher's birthplace -- Adi Shankara Janma Bhoomi Kshetram -- at Kalady village in Ernakulam district, the PM said he felt "very blessed" to be there.

 

"I feel very blessed to be at the Sri Adishankara Janmabhumi Kshetram. It is indeed a special place. Generations to come will remain indebted to the great Adi Shankaracharya for his rich contribution towards protecting our culture," Modi tweeted along with photographs of his visit.

 

 

8:44 AM

Over 21mn under Covid lockdown in Chinese city

More than 21 million people are under a Covid lockdown in Chengdu after a fresh outbreak was detected in the Chinese city, the media reported.

On Thursday, Chengdu, the capital of the southern Sichuan province, reported 157 new Covid-19 cases, including 51 asymptomatic, the BBC reported.

The lockdown came into effect on Thursday, with residents being asked to remain indoors while just one person per household has been allowed to step out for essential shopping.

8:43 AM

Android 14 to bring direct satellite connectivity to smartphones

Tech giant Google said that the upcoming Android 14 will "support our partners in enabling all of this" after SpaceX and T-Mobile unveiled plans to deliver direct satellite connectivity to smartphones.

On Twitter, Hiroshi Lockheimer, Senior Vice President of Platforms and Ecosystems at Google, described how it "was a stretch to get 3G + Wifi working" on the first shipping Android phone (HTC Dream/T-Mobile G1) in 2008, reports 9To5Google.

"Wild to think about user experiences for phones that can connect to satellites. When we launched G1 in '08, it was a stretch to get 3G + Wifi working," Lockheimer tweeted.

8:29 AM

Ex-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa set to return to Sri Lanka today

Sri Lanka’s former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is set to return to the island nation as early as Friday after he fled a surge in anti-government protests in July, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

 

His return signals new President Ranil Wickremesinghe is confident of maintaining order after cracking down on the protest movement that has blamed Rajapaksa for policy missteps that set off Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis since independence. 

 

The former leader is expected to stay in a house provided by the government in Colombo, the people said, asking not to be named because the information isn’t public yet. Local media, including the Sinhalese-language newspaper Mawbima, first reported on his expected return on Friday.

 

8:17 AM

'Opposition will finalise after a discussion': KCR on PM face for 2024 election

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) on Thursday avoided giving a direct response to a question about whether Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will run as the opposition's candidate for Prime Minister, saying that the opposition parties would meet and make that decision.

While talking to the media during his visit to Bihar, KCR was asked whether Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will be the next PM candidate for the opposition.

He dodged the straight response and said that all the opposition parties will come together and then finalise the PM candidate.

In a press conference, it could be seen that while KCR is engaged in answering the question, Nitish Kumar urged him to dismiss such questions.

8:12 AM

PM Narendra Modi to commission INS Vikrant today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commission India's first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi on Friday.

 

The Prime Minister will commission the aircraft carrier at 9:30 am.

 

He will also unveil the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan), doing away with the colonial past and befitting the rich Indian maritime heritage.

 

Designed by the Indian Navy's in-house Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, a Public Sector Shipyard under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Vikrant has been built with state-of-the-art automation features and is the largest ship ever built in the maritime history of India.

8:12 AM

IAEA mission arrives at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

A team of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reached the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) in southern Ukraine, the country's state-run nuclear energy operator Energoatom said.

 

"The IAEA mission arrived at Zaporizhzhya NPP," Energoatom confirmed on Telegram on Thursday.

 

The Zaporizhzhia NPP, one of Europe's largest nuclear power plants, has been controlled by Russian forces since early March, but its Ukrainian staff has continued to operate it, Xinhua news agency reported.

8:11 AM

Starbucks taps head of Lysol maker Laxman Narasimhan as its new CEO

Starbucks Corp on Thursday named Laxman Narasimhan as its next chief executive officer, choosing an executive credited with revitalizing the maker of Lysol disinfectants to undertake "reinvention" of the world's biggest coffee chain.

 

Narasimhan was CEO of Reckitt, which also makes Durex condoms, Enfamil baby formula and Mucinex cold syrup. He announced his departure from that post earlier in the day, and FTSE-listed Reckitt's shares fell 4%.

 

Starbucks faces a turbulent period. More than 200 of its U.S. stores have unionized in about a year, and workers demanding better benefits and wages at a time of surging inflation. Also, the company is reworking its business model from a focus on cafes that encouraged long visits to mobile pickup and delivery.

8:10 AM

Jaishankar co-chairs 14th India-UAE Joint Commission in Abu Dhabi

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has thanked his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan for co-chairing the 14th India-UAE Joint Commission.

 

Both of them assessed the significant progress made in multiple domains of cooperation.

 

"A very productive meeting of the 14th India-UAE Joint Commission.Thank HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan for co-chairing it. Assessed the significant progress made in multiple domains of cooperation. The Joint Vision of our leadership is being implemented expeditiously," Jaishankar tweeted on Friday.

8:10 AM

Congress only party in country that elects its president: Ajay Maken

Congress is the only party in the country that holds an election for the post of its president, AICC general secretary Ajay Maken said on Thursday.

 

Maken, who is Congress' Rajasthan in-charge, arrived here to review the preparations for the party's proposed 'Halla Bol' rally on September 4 in Delhi.

 

He stressed that the presidential election will take place according to the party's rules.

8:10 AM

Shahbaz Sharif postpones UAE visit amid floods in Pakistan

Amid the devastating flood situation in Pakistan, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has postponed his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), scheduled for September 3.

 

"I was set to visit the UAE on Sept 3 on the invitation of HH the President. We mutually decided to postpone the visit so that I could focus on the ongoing rescue and relief activities. We will forever be indebted to our brothers and sisters who have stood by us in this challenge," Sharif tweeted on Thursday.

 

The premier also shared that the UAE has begun delivering the first tranche of relief goods worth USD 50 million for the flood victims in Pakistan.

8:09 AM

Astralia lifts permanent immigration by 35,000 to 195,000

The Australian government announced on Friday it will increase its permanent immigration intake by 35,000 to 195,000 in the current fiscal year as the nation grapples with skills and labour shortages.

 

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil announced the increase for the year ending June 30, 2023, during a two-day summit of 140 representatives of governments, trade unions, businesses and industry to address skills shortages exacerbated by the pandemic.

 

O'Neill said Australian nurses have been working double and triple shifts for the past two years, flights were being cancelled because of a lack of ground staff and fruit was being left to rot on trees because there was no one to pick it.

8:09 AM

US requests UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine for September 7: Envoy

The United States has requested a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine to be held in the afternoon on September 7, the French Ambassador to the United Nations Nicolas de Riviere said on Thursday.

 

"Between now and then, next week, the subject of Ukraine will still be in the Council with a meeting that should take place on Wednesday, the seventh in the afternoon, on forced displacements in Ukraine upon the request of the United States," Riviere said during a briefing.

 

This meeting on Wednesday will follow a meeting on Ukraine of September 6, which was requested by Russia with a focus on the situation in and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant .

8:09 AM

Telangana: Union Minister Sitharaman slams TRS govt over debt, farmers' distress

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday slammed the TRS government in Telangana over the alleged rising debt, farmers' distress and other issues.

 

The state, which used to be revenue surplus, has now gone into revenue deficit, the senior BJP leader claimed, speaking at Kamareddy town during her visit to Zaheerabad parliamentary constituency as part of the saffron party's Lok Sabha Pravas Yojana'.

 

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) government took loans outside the budget. Farmers' debt is rampant in the state and it is ranked fourth in farmers' suicides, she said.