9:00 AMVande Bharat: WR to spend Rs 264 crore to build fences along Mumbai-Ahmedabad route to stop animal hits
The Western Railway (WR) has said it would install fences along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route by May next year to stop animals from straying onto the tracks and getting run over by trains, a move coming in the backdrop of the prestigious Vande Bharat Express hitting cattle four times since its launch on September 30.
Addressing a press conference at the railway zone's headquarters at Churchgate here on Friday, WR General Manager Ashok Kumar Misra said tenders have been invited for the construction of the fences on the 620-kilometre-long route, which is expected to cost Rs 264 crore.
The third semi high-speed Vande Bharat Express, flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 30 between Gandhinagar in Gujarat and the country's financial capital, has hit cattle four times so far, leading to minor damage to the aerodynamic nose of the state-of-the-art rake.
8:58 AMIndia is a part of me, says Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai
India is a part of me and I carry it with me wherever I go," Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has said, as he received the prestigious Padma Bhushan award from the Indian envoy to the US.
Indian-American Pichai was awarded the Padma Bhushan for 2022 in the Trade and Industry category. The Madurai-born Pichai was named one of the 17 awardees earlier this year.
He received India's third-highest civilian award in the presence of his close family members in San Francisco on Friday.
I am deeply grateful to the Indian government and the people of India for this immense honour. It is incredibly meaningful to be honoured in this way by the country that shaped me," 50-year-old Pichai said while accepting the award from India's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
8:43 AMPakistan to repay foreign debt, old dues
Pakistan is scheduled to repay the foreign debt over the 12-month period and the old dues.
According to The Express Tribune citing Optimus Capital Management, Pakistan is scheduled to pay the foreign debt and bear debt servicing costs worth USD 26.3 billion over the 12-month period (November to October).
"The 12-month forward external principal and interest liabilities surged to USD 26.3 billion, which includes USD 8.9 billion in December 2022 and January 2023," the securities firm said in a short commentary.
8:21 AMIndia's envoy to US hands over Padma Bhushan to Sundar Pichai
India's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu handed over the Padma Bhushan, one of the country's highest civilian Awards, to Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai in San Fransisco.
Taking to Twitter, Sandhu said, "Delighted to hand over Padma Bhushan to CEO @Google & Alphabet @sundarpichai in San Francisco. Sundar's inspirational journey from #Madurai to Mountain View, strengthening India-US economic and technology ties, reaffirms Indian talent's contribution to global innovation."
On the eve of the 73rd Republic Day, the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that Sundar Pichai would be conferred with Padma Bhushan.
8:13 AMIMF says it fully supports India's G20 agenda
The IMF fully supports the G20 agenda of India, which is planning to use the ongoing global crises as an opportunity to seek consensus on issues that require urgent attention, a senior official from the international financial body has said.
India formally assumed the G20 Presidency on Thursday.
They (India) are putting together a collective agenda for a much more prosperous future," Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, Director of the Strategy and Policy Review department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), told a group of reporters ahead of her trip to China and India next week.
7:57 AMPM Narendra Modi wraps up his Gujarat campaign, addresses 31 rallies
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed over 31 rallies and led three big road shows in Gujarat wrapping up on Friday his campaign for the BJP in the assembly polls as the party looks to maintain its uninterrupted winning streak there since 1995 in a triangular contest involving the Congress and the AAP.
Saturday is the last day for campaign, with the second and final phase of the polls for 93 seats set for December 5. The first phase of the polls for 89 seats were held on December 1.
A key highlight of Modi's public outreach was his roadshow in Ahmedabad on Thursday which BJP sources described as the "longest and largest" in the country.
7:57 AMG-7 joins EU on USD 60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil
The Group of Seven nations and Australia agreed Friday to adopt a USD 60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil, acting shortly after the European Union reached unanimous agreement on the same price earlier in the day.
The move is a key step as Western sanctions aim to reorder the global oil market to prevent price spikes and starve President Vladimir Putin of funding for his war in Ukraine.
Europe needed to set the discounted price that other nations will pay by Monday, when an EU embargo on Russian oil shipped by sea and a ban on insurance for those supplies take effect.
7:56 AMUS and France to form united front to ask Putin to end Ukraine war
The US and France appear to be forming a united front seeking end of the war in Ukraine as leaders of both countries are taking a common approach to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the issue even as Ukrainian forces seem to be pushing back the Russian army in some areas.
French President Emmanuel Macron has underscored his outrage over Moscow's "attoricties" in its war against Ukraine, while the US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he is open for dialogue with Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
The war has disrupted essential supplies from Russia and Ukraine to the rest of the world besides restricting crude oil supplies resulting in soaring oil prices breaching the $100 dollar a barrel mark and threatening energy supplies like gas supplies to most European nations ahead of the winter.
7:56 AM"Judiciary cannot become legislature or executive," says Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said that the judiciary cannot become the legislature or executive as any incursion by one organ into the domain of the other can upset the apple cart of governance.
"Our judiciary being one of the critical institutions of governance cannot be the executive or legislature. The doctrine of separation of power is fundamental to our governance. Any incursion, howsoever subtle, in the domain of the other by one has the capacity or potential to unsettle the apple cart of governance," Dhankar said while speaking at the 8th LM Singhvi memorial lecture.
He said that the power resides in the phrase "We the people" mentioned in the preamble of our constitution.
7:55 AMAIIMS hacking: Chinese involvement suspected; 4 more servers were on target
Chinese involvement is suspected in the hacking of the server of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, a top source said on Friday, adding that four more servers were on the hackers' target.
The source said that a total of five main servers of AIIMS were targeted by the suspected Chinese hackers. The data hacked from the AIIMS server has reportedly reached the main domain of Dark Web from where it may be sold.
Meanwhile, AIIMS is currently working on devising a cyber security policy with the guidance from investigating agencies, as its server remains down following the cyber attack on November 7.
7:55 AMI have experienced racism in my life, says UK PM Rishi Sunak
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has revealed that he experienced racism growing up in the UK but the country has made incredible progress since then in confronting the issue. The British Indian leader was speaking to reporters in the wake of a racism row at Bucking-ham Palace, which saw the resignation of Prince William's godmother after it emerged that the senior palace aide had repeatedly questioned a black British charity work-er about where she was “really from”.
When asked about the controversy, Sunak said it would not be right for him to comment on palace matters and pointed out that action had been taken.
7:54 AMVladimir Putin open to talks and diplomacy on Ukraine, says Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to talks on a possible settlement to the conflict in Ukraine and believes in a diplomatic solution, the Kremlin said on Friday.
The premier replying to US President Joe Biden’ comment stating his willingness to speak with Putin but with conditions, said the the West must accept Moscow’s demands.
Amidst this, Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday that the German and Western line on Ukraine was ‘destructive’ and urged Berlin to rethink its approach.
 "Umar Khalid (Photo: Facebook)")
