News updates: Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as Lanka's interim president

Live news updates: Wickremesinghe, 73, was sworn in as the acting president of Sri Lanka before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya

2:06 PM

NCP slams Maha CM Shinde over clearances given to Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project

The NCP on Friday criticised Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over the clearances given to the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project, saying he should focus more on issues concerning the state.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that Shinde had given all the clearances to expedite the project, which the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government, of the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, had put on the back burner.

The NCP's chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said, "The illegal government of Eknath Shinde has expeditiously given clearances to the bullet train project".

1:34 PM

AAP to take call on Presidential poll on Saturday

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will take a decision on the July 18 Presidential election on Saturday.

 

A meeting of the AAP political affairs committee will be held on Saturday where the party will take a call as to whom to back in the Presidential poll -- NDA nominee Draupadi Murmu or joint opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.

 

With Bhagwant Mann becoming the Chief Minister of Punjab after AAP swept the Assembly polls, the party's number in the Lok Sabha has been reduced to zero. However, AAP has 10 members in the Upper House, along with 62 MLAs in Delhi and 92 in Punjab.

1:25 PM

PM Modi invites ideas for upcoming episode of 'Mann Ki Baat' on June 31

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited people to share the ideas and suggestions for upcoming episode of 'Mann Ki Baat'.

The ideas can be shared on MyGov, Namo App. People can also record their message by dialing the number 1800-11-7800.

Sharing MyGov invitation, Prime Minister Modi tweeted, "Do you have inputs for this month's #MannKiBaat, which will take place on the 31st? I look forward to hearing them... share them either on MyGov or the NaMo App. Record your message by dialling 1800-11-7800."

1:25 PM

Heathrow restrictions hit India-London flight, more could follow

Virgin Atlantic cancelled its Delhi-London flight on Thursday and other airlines might follow suit with Heathrow airport's decision this week to limit the number of passengers to one lakh a day to cope with a staff crunch.

There are 102 direct flights a week between India and Heathrow airport -- British Airways (41), Virgin Atlantic (21), Air India (33) and Vistara (seven).

Due to mandatory flight capacity restrictions being implemented by Heathrow Airport on all airlines on Thursday 14 July, we've regrettably had to cancel one of our London Heathrow - New York (JFK) return services, operating as flight numbers VS45 and VS4 and our morning departure to Delhi, flight VS302," Virgin Atlantic said in a statement.

It added that it is contacting affected customers and will rebook them on an alternative flight on the same day wherever possible with the option to rebook on a later date or request a refund.

The limits on passenger numbers imposed by Heathrow airport will remain from July 12 to September 11.

1:15 PM

Over 5,400 pilgrims leave Jammu camp for Amarnath

The 16th batch of over 5,400 Amarnath pilgrims left Jammu city on Friday morning for the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal in Kashmir, officials said.

The annual pilgrimage, which was suspended from Jammu last Sunday due to bad weather resumed on Monday. A flash flood triggered by heavy rains near the cave shrine on Friday last week led to the death of at least 15 people.

The 43-day-long pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas commenced on June 30 from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in south Kashmir's Anantnag district and 14-km shorter Baltal in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district.

12:56 PM

China will agree to aid ‘at some point,’ says Sri Lanka envoy

Sri Lanka is continuing negotiations with China for as much as $4 billion in aid and is confident Beijing will agree “at some point,” according to a top envoy.

 

Colombo is asking China for a loan of $1 billion to repay an equivalent amount of Chinese debt coming due this year, Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka’s ambassador to China, said in an interview to Bloomberg Television Friday. It is also seeking a $1.5 billion credit line to pay for Chinese imports and activation of a $1.5 billion swap, he added.

 

12:32 PM

Central banker warns Sri Lanka faces shutdown without stable government

The governor of Sri Lanka's central bank, Nandalal Weerasinghe, has warned that the country may shut down if no stable government is formed soon, local media reported.

There is a "lot of uncertainty" over whether enough foreign exchange can be found to pay for essential petroleum, he told the BBC.

Progress on getting an international bailout package depended on having a stable administration, he said.

The country is in the grip of mass unrest over an economic crisis.

12:05 PM

IIT Madras remains best educational institute in country

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras bagged the top spot among educational institutions in the country for the fourth consecutive year while the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru is the best university, according to the Ministry of Education's National Institutional Ranking Framework.

The 2022 rankings were released by Union Education Minister Dharmednra Pradhan on Friday.

In the overall category, IIT Madras is followed by IISc Bengaluru at second spot while IIT Bombay has been ranked third.

Among the universities, IISc Bengaluru is followed by JNU at second spot and Jamia Millia Islamia at the third position.

11:46 AM

COVID-19 precaution dose: Karnataka govt to conduct workplace, door-to-door vaccinations

The Karnataka government has prepared district-wise micro plans for conducting workplace vaccinations along with door-to-door inoculation drive to implement the 75-days COVID Vaccine Amrit Mahotsav.

 

All citizens above 18 years of age who have completed six months or 26 weeks after their second dose can avail the precaution dose, beginning on Friday and till September 30, state Health Minister K Sudhakar said.

11:45 AM

Pak polio eradication campaign in disarray, country reports 12 new cases this year

Pakistan has reported its 12th polio case this year, all in the tribal district of North Waziristan bordering Afghanistan, in a fresh blow to the country's efforts to eradicate the crippling disease, which can cause severe paralysis in children.

Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world along with its neighbour Afghanistan.

The new case a 21-month-old boy who had the onset of paralysis on June 18 was reported on Thursday from Union Council 2 of Mir Ali area. The child has been paralysed in the right leg, according to preliminary investigations.

11:37 AM

India, China have to solve border issue through talks: Dalai Lama

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Friday said that India and China must solve the border dispute through talks and peaceful means.

The remarks by the Dalai Lama come ahead of 16th round of Corps Commander-level meetings between India and China, expected to start on July 17, in the backdrop of a stand-off between the two countries along the Line of Actual Control in the eastern Ladakh sector and the Galwan clashes of 2020.

The 14th Dalai Lama today left for Ladakh after a stopover in Jammu where he had arrived on Thursday from his base in Dharamshala.

11:09 AM

Sri Lankan Parliament to meet Saturday; new Prez to be elected within seven days: Speaker

Sri Lanka's Parliament will meet on Saturday after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa officially resigned, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has announced.

President Rajapaksa officially resigned on Friday, two days after the embattled leader fled the country in the face of massive protests against his government for mishandling the economy that bankrupted the country.

The 73-year-old leader Thursday emailed his resignation letter to the Speaker soon after he was allowed by Singapore to enter the city-state on a "private visit".

10:59 AM

Ladakh visit religious: Govt functionary on Dalai Lama's visit to UT

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's visit to Ladakh is "completely religious", and no one should have any objections to it, a top government functionary said on Friday. The Dalai Lama will reach the Union Territory, bordering China, on Friday and is scheduled to stay there for about a month.

 

This is not for the first time that the Dalai Lama is visiting a border region as he had visited Ladakh as well Arunachal Pradesh several times in the past, the functionary said.

10:46 AM

58,000 employees of PSU general insurance strike work demanding pay revision

About 58,000 employees in the government owned general insurance and reinsurance companies are on strike on Friday demanding wage revision, said a top official of Joint Forum of Trade Unions and Associations (JFTU).

"With wage settlement pending for the past five years, about 58,000 employees in the government owned four general insurance and reinsurance companies are striking work on Friday," Girish Khurana National Convener told IANS.

"The wage revision is pending since August 1, 2017. We have been regularly taking this up with the Department of Financial Services (DFS) and the management of the public sector general insurance companies for early wage revision and other aspects," Khurana added.

10:45 AM

Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa quits; 'We are the real power' says protester

The speaker of Sri Lanka's parliament formally accepted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation on Friday after he fled to Singapore to escape a popular uprising brought about by his country's worst economic crisis in seven decades.

 

"From this point, we will move to constitutionally appoint a new president," the speaker, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, told reporters. "It will happen quickly and successfully. I request everyone to support this process."

 

Rajapaksa landed in Singapore on Thursday, having fled to the Maldives early on Wednesday on a military jet along with his wife and two security guards. Protesters stormed his residence and office last Saturday.