11:03 AMBengal CM, governor pay homage to Bal Gangadhar Tilak
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday paid homage to veteran freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak on his birth anniversary.
Describing Tilak as an immortal patriot, Banerjee referred to his close relationship with the freedom fighters in Bengal.
I pay my humble tributes to Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak on his birth anniversary today. The immortal patriot had intimate relations with Bengal freedom fighters and we are inspired by his spirit even today, Banerjee tweeted.
10:58 AMThai PM sails through last no-confidence vote ahead of polls
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha sailed through his fourth and final no-confidence vote in Parliament on Saturday with no surprises, ahead of a general election next year.
The vote came after four days of debate targeting Prayuth and 10 of his Cabinet members for economic mismanagement and their failure to prevent corruption. All 10 ministers also survived the vote, thanks to the ruling coalition government's majority in Parliament.
Prayuth won 256 confidence votes, with 206 against and nine abstaining.
10:57 AMPak PM's son Hamza Sharif takes oath as Punjab CM after dramatic re-election
Hamza Shehbaz, the son of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Saturday took oath as the chief minister of Punjab province, a day after he was re-elected to the post by just three votes amidst high drama when the deputy speaker rejected 10 crucial votes of his rival candidate Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman administered the oath to Hamza, 47. The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Governor House in Punjab.
The run-off election for the post of Punjab chief minister was held in the Punjab Assembly on Friday, in line with the instructions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
10:06 AMIndia adds 21,411 COVID-19 cases, 67 deaths
India's COVID-19 tally climbed to 43,868,476 on Saturday with 21,411 fresh cases, while the number of active cases increased to 1,50,100, according to Union health ministry data.
The death toll climbed to 525,997 as 67 more people succumbed to the viral disease, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The active cases comprise 0.34 per cent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.46 per cent, the ministry said.
An increase of 618 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate stood at 4.46 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 4.46 per cent, the ministry said.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 43,192,379, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.20 per cent, it said.
10:04 AMAfghanistan, Pak to form visa-facilitating commission
The Taliban-led government announced that to facilitate visas for Pakistan, a joint commission will be formed, which will include representatives of the Afghan Foreign Ministry and the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul.
Nooruddin Azizi, the acting Minister of Commerce and Industry, said the two nations will work to address the challenges of the people in getting visas, reports TOLO News.
"They will be holding meetings and discussions for an easy and better mechanism to issue visas to the people of Afghanistan," he said.
10:04 AMUS mulling supplying fighter jets for Ukraine: White House
As the Ukraine-Russia war is set to enter its fifth month, the US is mulling increasing its military aid to the Eastern European country and in the latest announcement by the White House, Pentagon is now considering providing Ukrainian forces with fighter jets, media reports said.
On Friday, John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said that the Pentagon "is making some preliminary explorations into the feasibility of potentially providing fighter aircraft to the Ukrainians," adding, "But it's not something that they're going to be able to execute immediately or even in the short term."
This move would expand US involvement in war and risk significant escalation with Russia, reported Wall Street Journal.
9:48 AMMeta commits additional $150 mn to its Oversight Board
Tech giant Meta has made a commitment that provides for ongoing financial support for the Oversight Board, and as part of that commitment, it will make a $150 million contribution to the Trust.
On the microblogging site Twitter, Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg said that this money will go into the Oversight Board Trust, which enables the board to continue operating as a separate entity.
"Since its launch, the Oversight Board has had a significant impact. Its binding case decisions and non-binding recommendations have led to greater transparency in our content decisions, and have pushed us to strengthen Meta's policy and enforcement practices," Clegg wrote on the platform.
9:46 AM237,000 people perform Amarnath Yatra in 23 days
Over 237,000 people have performed the Amarnath Yatra since the past 23 days as another batch of 7,053 pilgrims left Jammu for the valley on Saturday.
Officials from the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) said since the Yatra began on June 30, a total of 237,480 people have performed it.
On Saturday morning, the new batch of pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu in two escorted convoys.
9:31 AMBlack Sea grain exports agreement 'a beacon of hope': UN chief
The agreement to resume grain shipments from Ukrainian ports to international markets via the Black Sea is "a beacon of hope" for the world, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The agreement signed Friday by Ukraine, Russia and Türkiye under UN auspices "opens a path for commercial food exports from Ukraine in the Black Sea," Guterres said in a tweet.
"It is a beacon of hope, possibility and relief," the UN chief tweeted, noting that the deal will help avoid a food shortage catastrophe for millions worldwide.
9:24 AMDinesh Gunawardena takes oath as new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s new President Ranil Wickremesinghe called in the military to maintain “public order” and troops began dismantling a key protest site near the presidential office early Friday, leading to tense scenes with demonstrators.
The oceanfront Galle Face camp was swarmed by hundreds of soldiers and police officials who detained some protesters and tore down the makeshift tents. A nationwide emergency, that allows military and police sweeping powers to arrest and detain people, remains in place.
9:23 AMNations wary of Huawei Networks, mull ban amid spying charges
Many nations across the world are grappling over whether to accept or reject Huawei Networks 5G technology - a leading Chinese company amid charges of spying.
Valerio Fabbri, writing in Geopolitica.info said that in some countries, Huawei faces product and 5G wireless network bans, security scrutiny and related pushback. Many countries allege that the company's products may contain security holes that China's government could use for spying.
Furthermore, some countries allege that Huawei steals intellectual property from foreign technology companies. Despite such obstacles, many countries have proceeded with Huawei as a potential or confirmed choice for 5G wireless network projects and associated infrastructure.
9:23 AMIndonesia mulls rollout of fourth dose of Covid vaccine
Indonesia was mulling the rollout of the fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccines as the pandemic is predicted to last longer than expected and the antibodies decline after six months of inoculation, Health Ministry spokesman Mohammad Syahril said on Friday.
"Some countries have started it, and Indonesia is planning it as the pandemic lasts," Syahril was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
The vulnerable groups such as medical workers, people with comorbidity, the elderly, and public workers will be prioritised to receive the fourth dose.
9:23 AMAfter years of delay 6 rights groups get UN accreditation
After years of delays, six human rights organisations, including the foundation that runs the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, have finally received permission to raise concerns and participate in discussions at the UN body overseeing economic development and social issues.
The United States had pushed for a vote on the six groups in June in the UN Committee on Non-governmental Organizations, which handles requests for accreditation to the UN Economic and Social Council, known as ECOSOC. But a majority of the NGO committee's 19 members voted to end debate on the six applications -- which again meant no action.
The US, Italy, Sweden and Estonia then introduced a resolution seeking a vote in ECOSOC, which has 54 member nations. That took place Thursday and Russia asked for a recorded vote, rather than letting the decision happen by consensus.
9:22 AMBiden's Covid symptoms improve; WH says he's staying busy
COVID-19 symptoms left President Joe Biden with a raspy voice and cough as he met Friday via videoconference with his top economic team. But the president tried to strike a reassuring tone, declaring, I feel much better than I sound.
Biden took off a mask and sipped water as he opened the meeting to discuss the decline in gas prices in recent weeks. Reporters were allowed into a White House auditorium to view a few minutes of the proceedings, and when they asked how Biden was feeling, he flashed a thumb's up.
The president's doctors said his mild Covid symptoms were improving and he was responding well to treatment, as the White House worked to portray the image of a president still on the job despite his illness. He received his presidential daily security briefing via video call while, separately, Chinese President Xi Jinping wished Biden a speedy recovery.
9:22 AMTrump aide Bannon held guilty of contempt of Congress
A federal jury on Friday found Steve Bannon, an adviser to former US President Donald Trump, guilty of two counts of criminal contempt of Congress.
Jail terms and fines will be determined during sentencing, which is scheduled for October 21. Bannon faces between 30 days to one year behind bars and a fine of $100 to $100,000 for each count.
The trial lasted less than a week; it started on Monday, the US attorney and defence up their arguments on Thursday and the jurors returned the guilty verdict on Friday.
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