LIVE: SC to hear plea against tenure extension of ED director on Friday

Live news updates: Besides Gokhale, the spokesperson of the TMC, others have also filed petitions challenging the tenure extension and the enabling amended law in this regard in the top court.

9:45 AM

UN Security Council condemns attack on peacekeepers in Congo that killed 2 Indians

The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the attack on the UN mission in Congo in which two peacekeepers from India and one person from Morocco were killed, urging the Congolese authorities to swiftly investigate the assault and bring the perpetrators to justice.

In a press statement, tabled by India and France, the powerful 15-nation Council expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to India and Morocco.

The council also expressed its condolences to the United Nations and the civilians who lost their lives, besides wishing a speedy recovery to peacekeepers and civilians injured in the July 26 attack in Butembo, North Kivu province.

9:42 AM

PM to inaugurate 44th Chess Olympiad, hails event as "special" tourney

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 44th Chess Olympiad here on Thursday, with the marquee event being hosted by India for the first time.

 

Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, Chief Minister M K Stalin and Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur among others will be present during the opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor stadium in the city.

 

The sporting event will be held in the nearby Mamallapuram, about 50 km from Chennai.

 

The Olympiad is being held in India for the first time ever, after being moved out of Russia and has attracted a record number of entries in the Open (188) and women's (162) sections.

 

9:42 AM

Govt to move 'The Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022' in RS

Amid continuous disruption since the first day of the ongoing Monsoon Session, the Centre will on Thursday move 'The Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022' for consideration and passing in the Rajya Sabha.

 

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh will move the bill.

 

He will also make a statement regarding the status of implementation of recommendations/observations contained in the report of the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change on Demands for Grants (2022-23) pertaining to the Department of Science and Technology.

 

9:41 AM

Kim threatens to use nukes amid tensions with US, S Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned he's ready to use his nuclear weapons in potential military conflicts with the United States and South Korea, state media said Thursday, as he unleashed fiery rhetoric against rivals he says are pushing the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war.

 

Kim's speech to war veterans on the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War were apparently meant to boost internal unity in the impoverished country suffering pandemic-related economic difficulties. North Korea will likely intensify its threats against the United States and South Korea as the allies prepare to expand summertime exercises the North views as an invasion rehearsal, some observers say.

9:41 AM

Meta reports first ever revenue decline

Facebook and Instagram's parent company Meta reported its first-ever yearly decline in revenue for the second quarter, announcing a 1 per cent drop to USD 28.8 billion.

 

As per The Hollywood Reporter, the company also saw net income fall by 36 per cent, landing at USD 6.7 billion for the second quarter, while total costs and expenses rose by 22 per cent to hit USD 20.5 billion.

 

Executives pointed to a "weak advertising demand environment" that is expected to continue into Q3, according to Meta's earnings release.

 

The company is forecasting revenue between USD 26-28.5 billion for the quarter.

 

9:41 AM

UK PM race: Rishi Sunak pledges major crackdown on sex offenders

Rishi Sunak has vowed to hunt down and stamp out grooming gangs who prey on children and young women, and make their ringleaders subject to maximum life sentences as part of his campaign pledge to be elected Conservative Party leader and the next British Prime Minister.

 

Under a government headed by him, the Ready4Rishi campaign team said on Wednesday evening that members of grooming rings will automatically face criminal charges for belonging to or facilitating the activity of the gang, with those at its heart facing life sentences.

 

In a further crackdown on sex offenders, the former chancellor will ban so-called down-blousing, where perpetrators take photos down a woman's top without their consent to curb abuse targeted at women and bring more offenders to justice.

 

9:40 AM

Monkeypox: Centre invites bids for developing vaccines, diagnostic kits

The National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune under ICMR has isolated monkeypox virus from the clinical specimen of a patient which can pave the way for development of diagnostic kits and vaccines against the disease, the apex health research body said on Wednesday.

 

With India isolating the virus, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) also invited expression of interest (EoI), proposing to hand over the strain to interested Indian vaccine manufacturers, pharma companies and in-vitro diagnostic industry partners for development of indigenous vaccines against monkeypox and diagnostic kits for detection of the disease.

 

The development comes amid India reporting four cases of monkeypox -- three from Kerala and one from Delhi -- so far.

 

9:40 AM

US Fed tries to control inflation genie with a 75 bps rate hike

Expectedly, the US Federal Reserve jacked up its benchmark overnight interest rate by 75 basis points in an effort to tamp down the bristling inflation genie virtually bursting out of the bottle.

 

The spike in inflation, highest since the 1980s, with "ongoing increases" in borrowing costs against a backdrop ahead of a decelerating economy.

 

The Federal Reserve raised rates by 75 percentage point, same as that in June.

 

"The labor market is extremely tight, and inflation is too high," Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference, explaining the unusually large hike.