LIVE: Lankan Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa headed to Saudi Arabia, says report

Live news upedates: Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is headed to Saudi Arabia via Singapore

7:48 AM

Peaceful transfer of power within Sri Lanka is essential: US

Amid the unrest in Sri Lanka, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung has urged for the peaceful transfer of power within the country's constitutional framework and said that the US condemns all violence and calls for the rule of law to be upheld in the crisis-hit island nation.

 

"We condemn all violence and call for the rule of law to be upheld," she said in a tweet, stressing that a peaceful transfer of power within SL's democratic and constitutional framework is essential so the people's demands for accountability, transparency, democratic governance and a better future can be realized.

 

Julie Chung also requested parties to work together to bring economic and political stability in Sri Lanka.

7:41 AM

US FDA authorises Novavax Covid vaccine for emergency use in adults

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine in individuals 18 years of age and older.

 

The Novavax vaccine will be available as two-dose primary series for adults, three weeks apart, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

The known and potential benefits of the vaccine outweigh its known and potential risks in people 18 years of age and older, and the vaccine may be effective in preventing Covid-19, said the FDA in a statement.

7:36 AM

Warren Buffett's Berkshire owns 19.2% of Occidental Petroleum after new purchases

Berkshire Hathaway Inc, run by Warren Buffett, said it has this week purchased another 4.3 million shares of Occidental Petroleum Corp, giving it a 19.2% stake in the oil company.

 

In a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Wednesday, Berkshire said it spent about $250 million on the additional shares, giving it ownership of about 179.4 million Occidental common shares worth approximately $10.4 billion.

7:36 AM

Zelenskyy hold Russia 'accountable' for ongoing catastrophe in Sri Lanka

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia for causing unrest in Sri Lanka as well as around the world due to the blocking of food products during the invasion of Ukraine.

 

One of the major tactics Russia has used in their invasion of Ukraine is the creation of an "economic shock," Zelenskyy said, adding that several countries experiencing food and fuel shortages due to the disruption in the supply chain have benefitted Russia's agenda.

 

Highlighting the crisis in Sri Lanka during a recent address at the Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul, he further said "The shocking food and fuel price hikes led to a social explosion. No one knows now how it will end."

7:33 AM

Virat has to find his way: BCCI President Ganguly

Star India batter Virat Kohli is going through a lean patch and a groin injury has made the matters worse for the talisman. The 33-year-old's last international ton came in 2019 and his disappointing run of form continued in Tests and T20I series against England, as he could manage only 11 and 20 in Edgbaston Test and could score only 12 runs in his two innings in T20Is. Despite all the failures, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly backs him to get back to his scoring ways.

 

"Of course, look at the numbers he has got in international cricket that doesn't happen without ability and quality. Yes, he has had a tough time and he knows that. He has been a great player himself. He himself knows by his own standards it has not been good and I see him coming back and doing well. But he has got to find his way and become successful, which he has been for the last 12-13 years or more and only Virat Kohli can do that, " said BCCI President Sourav Ganguly while speaking exclusively to ANI.

7:29 AM

Ukraine, Russia make some progress at talks on grain exports: Zelensky

Ukraine and Russia have made some progress at the talks on grain exports in Istanbul that also involved representatives of Turkey and the United Nations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sai.

 

"The Ukrainian delegation informed me that there is some progress. We will agree on the details with the UN secretary-general in the coming days," Zelensky was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

 

According to the presidential press service, the President on Wednesday said that Ukraine is making significant efforts to restore the supplies of food to the global market.

7:28 AM

Gotabaya Rajapaksa awaits for private jet to depart from Maldives for Singapore

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled to Maldives on Wednesday followed by an uprising triggered due to the economic collapse of the island nation, is now waiting to travel further to Singapore.

 

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is now an acting president, has declared a state of emergency in the country and a curfew in the Western province had been imposed.

 

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has not departed for Singapore on the scheduled Singapore Airlines flight from Male to Singapore, the Daily Mirror reported.

7:28 AM

New Parliament building to have modern facilities, spacious chambers

Under the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, a new triangular shaped Parliament House building is being constructed, which is spread over 65,000 sq meter. The new building will have many modern facilities and will also be bigger than the current Parliament building.

 

According to the information, the construction of the new Parliament building, being built at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore, is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 or early 2023. At the same time, it is expected that the winter session to held in November-December would be held in the new Parliament building.

 

The new building will have larger chambers for the lawmakers and will have a seating capacity for 888 members in the Lok Sabha. On the other hand, there will be 326 seats in the Rajya Sabha. 1,224 members can sit together during the joint session.

7:22 AM

UN chief calls for action in 4 areas to build back better from Covid-19

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for immediate action in four areas so that the world can build back better from Covid-19 and further advance sustainable development.

 

The first area is recovery from the pandemic in every country, he was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

 

"We must ensure equitable global access to Covid-19 vaccines, therapies and tests. And now it is very important to have a serious effort to increase the number of countries that can produce vaccines, diagnostics, and other else technologies thinking about the future," he told the opening of the ministerial segment of the High-level Political Forum on sustainable development, convened under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council.

7:22 AM

Soft power central to rebalancing world order; working naturally to India's advantage: Jaishankar./

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday called soft power central to rebalancing the world order, which he argued is a "huge historical corrective process" working naturally to India's advantage.

 

He was speaking at the launch of "Connecting through Culture", an anthology of essays on various aspects of India's soft power strengths.

 

"Where does soft power fit in the larger scheme of things? I regard it today as absolutely central to the rebalancing which is going on in the world. A rebalance, which will create, and is already creating, multi-polarity," the minister told a packed audience at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in New Delhi.

7:18 AM

Yashwant Sinha arrives in Bhopal, Draupadi Murmu to reach on Thursday

Joint opposition Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha arrived in Bhopal on Wednesday evening. He was received by senior Congress leaders led by Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath.

 

Leader of opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Govind Singh, received Sinha at the Bhopal airport and took him to Kamal Nath's residence at Shyamla Hills.

 

Sinha will meet and seek support of all the Congress MLAs on Thursday.

7:18 AM

Sunak wins first round in Tory leadership contest, but Boris puts a spanner in the works

Erstwhile Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, who is of East African Indian origin, won the first round of balloting in the British ruling Conservative party to choose a Prime Minister, attracting 88 votes.

 

Penny Mordaunt, a former Defence Secretary, came second with 67 votes. Third was Liz Truss, Foreign Secretary, securing 50 votes. Attorney General Suella Fernandes Braverman, who is of Goan Indian descent, scraped through with 32 votes.

 

A total of 358 MPs were eligible to vote.

7:18 AM

Unique blood group found in Gujarat man

A man in Gujarat, who passed away during the course of treatment, has been identified with a unique blood group, which is said to be the first in the country and 10th in the world, as per reports.

 

The 65-year-old man from Rajkot needed a heart surgery last year after he suffered a heart attack. However, after the doctors conducted a test to determine the blood group of the patient, they couldn't find any match in Rajkot.

 

The patient was then referred to Ahmedabad, but here too the doctors couldn't find a match.