LIVE news updates: EC issues certificate of election to Droupadi Murmu

Live news updates: The certificate will now be sent to the Union Home Secretary

5:43 PM

Oppn members walk out of parliamentary panel meet alleging not allowed to discuss Agnipath: Sources

Opposition members on Friday staged a walk out from a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence alleging they were not allowed to discuss the Agnipath scheme, sources said.

They said members of Congress and BSP urged committee chairman Jual Oram to allow a discussion on the Agnipath scheme, arguing it has huge implications and required parliamentary scrutiny, but were denied from doing so.

They added that Congress MPs K C Venugopal and Uttam Kumar Reddy, besides BSP's Danish Ali, who are members of the panel, argued with the chairman that the Agnipath scheme has already been discussed in the Consultative Committee on Defence and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the three service chiefs have made a presentation before it.

5:02 PM

Third case of monkeypox reported from Kerala

A 35-year old man, who came to Kerala from the UAE earlier this month, has tested positive for monkeypox, making him the third case of the virus from the country as well as the state.

Health Minister Veena George said the Malappuram native arrived in the southern state on July 6 and had fever since July 13.

4:26 PM

Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Q1 up 33 pc at Rs 125.95 cr

Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd on Friday reported a 33 per cent increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 125.95 crore in the first quarter ended June 30, on the back of higher sales.

The company, which had posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 94.76 crore in the year-ago period, said it has raised Rs 600 crore through the allotment of non-convertible debentures on private placement basis in two series.

4:15 PM

Railways suffered a loss of Rs 259.44 crore due to Agnipath agitation: Vaishnaw

Indian Railways suffered a loss of Rs 259.44 crore due to damage and destruction of its assets in agitations against the Agnipath Scheme, said Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Rajya Sabha

3:40 PM

Congress party don't have any agenda at hand, no agenda: Rijiju

Congress party don't have any agenda at hand, no agenda, no issue, no business in their hands. That's why they're raising irrelevant issues which are detrimental to the national interest, said Union Minister Kiren Rijiju when asked about Congress' criticism of Har Ghar Tiranga campaign

3:24 PM

Chhattisgarh Assembly: BJP accuses Baghel govt of failing to address issues of employees

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday accused the Bhupesh Baghel dispensation in Chhattisgarh of failing to address issues faced by government employees and not keeping promises made to them ahead of the 2018 Assembly polls.

The opposition MLAs sought a discussion on the issue by moving an adjournment motion notice, which was rejected by the speaker, leading to an uproar that resulted in the Assembly being adjourned for five minutes.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, BJP legislators, including Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik, Shivratan Sharma and Ajay Chandrakar, claimed over four lakh officials and employees of various departments have decided to go on strike from July 25 to 29 to voice their demands like hike in dearness and house rent allowances.

3:01 PM

Sotheby’s to hold first Singapore auction after 15 years

Auction house Sotheby’s will hold its first auction in Singapore in 15 years amid a growing collector base in the city state, which has become an increasingly popular destination for expats, family offices and wealthy tycoons.

 

The auction of modern and contemporary art will take place on Aug. 28, according to a press release from the company. Demand from collectors in Singapore and Southeast Asia has grown “exponentially,” the firm said. 

 

2:57 PM

SC allows Centre to continue with security cover for Mukesh Ambani, family members

SC allows Centre to continue with security cover for industrialist Mukesh Ambani, his family members in Mumbai.

2:56 PM

CM of Pakistan's Punjab to be elected; Khan warns of 'Sri Lanka-like crisis' if people's mandate stolen

Pakistan's Punjab province is electing its chief minister on Friday amid warning from ousted prime minister Imran Khan that if the state machinery is used to steal the people's mandate it will lead the country to a "Sri Lanka-like crisis." Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's son Hamza Shehbaz is chief minister candidate from the ruling coalition while Chaudhry Parvez Elahi is from Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) alliance.

 

In the current 368-member Punjab Assembly, the Opposition alliance (PTI-PML-Q) has 187 lawmakers and the PML-N-led ruling coalition 179.

2:50 PM

Modi, Shehbaz meeting likely to take place in Uzbekistan at SCO summit

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Secretary General Zhang Ming is visiting Pakistan on Friday for three days and will invite Pak Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to participate in the SCO annual summit to be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 15-16, The News reported.

 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend the summit, which will provide an opportunity to the prime ministers of Pakistan and India to come face-to-face. It is for the first time in six years that the two prime ministers will be present under one roof and avail an opportunity to see each other, The News reported.

 

Highly-placed diplomatic sources told The News here on Thursday that a chance meeting between Shehbaz and Modi couldn't be ruled out since both would be in the same compound for two days. "No structured meeting of the two has been tied up since India hasn't requested the same yet. In case such a request is made, Pakistan's response will be positive," the sources said.

 

2:43 PM

Airlines can't deny boarding to disabled passenger without doctor's opinion: DGCA

If an airline feels a disabled passenger's health is likely to deteriorate during a flight, it must consult a doctor at the airport and take an "appropriate decision" on whether boarding should be denied to the flyer or not, aviation regulator DGCA said on Friday.

If the airline then decides to deny boarding to the disabled passenger, it will have to immediately inform the passenger in writing and mention the reasons in that note, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.

The regulator had proposed the aforementioned regulations on June 3, six days after it had imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on IndiGo for denying boarding to a disabled boy at Ranchi airport on May 7.

2:30 PM

Japan warns of rising global tension, Russia-China arms ties

Japan warned of escalating national security threats stemming from Russia's war on Ukraine and China's tensions with Taiwan in an annual defence paper issued Friday, as Japan tries to bolster its military capability and spending.

The annual defence white paper, approved by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet on Friday, highlights the need for Japan's military buildup to address security concerns and seeks to gain public support for a stronger military and increased budget, which Kishida's governing party aims to double in coming years.

The report comes months ahead of a revision to Japan's national security strategy that is expected to include a pre-emptive strike capability, which critics say would go beyond the limitations of Japan's pacifist constitution.

2:29 PM

All major ports to be made self-sustainable on electricity by 2030: Sonowal

The government is committed to reduce emissions from the shipping sector and all the major ports will be made fully self-sustainable on electricity by 2030, Parliament was informed on Friday.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said that to develop global standard ports in India, Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 has identified initiatives, such as developing world-class Mega Ports, transhipment hubs and infrastructure modernisation of ports.

According to the minister, as a part of Sagarmala Programme, more than 800 projects at an estimated cost of around Rs 5.5 lakh crore have been identified for implementation during 2015 to 2035 across all coastal states.

2:28 PM

Delhi AIIMS raises room rent for private ward after 5% GST rate hike

he All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, on Thursday announced a raise in the charges of its private ward rooms.

The move comes following the recent decision by the GST Council to levy a 5 per cent tax on hospital room rent exceeding Rs 5,000 per day. The revised charge will be effective from July 18 as per government notification.

As per the notification issued by AIIMS, the charges for A class (deluxe room) at AIIMS will now be Rs 6300 per day. Patients have to pay 10 days advance deposit of Rs 66,000, including 5 per cent GST and diet charges.

2:06 PM

Airtel to be at forefront of bringing 5G connectivity to India: Sunil Mittal

Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal has said that the company will be at the forefront of bringing 5G connectivity to India with a powerful network to support the country's digital-first economy.

 

The comments from Mittal assume significance as the countdown for 5G spectrum auctions has begun.

 

A total 72 GHz (gigahertz) of radiowaves worth at least Rs 4.3 lakh crore will be put on the block during the auction, scheduled to begin on July 26.

 

As a precursor to the mega event, the Telecom Department is holding a mock auction (mock drill) on Friday and Saturday (July 22 and July 23).