Author: Earth News Network

Lahore, Jan 4 (PTI) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Wednesday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking an order to stop the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from a process to remove him from the party chairperson office in the light of his disqualification in the Toshakhana reference. The ECP last month initiated the process to remove Khan as chairman of the PTI following its verdict in the Toshakhana (national depository) case. It disqualified the ousted premier under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution for making “false statements and incorrect declaration”.

Washington, Jan 5 (PTI) The United States is concerned about China’s handling of COVID-19, US President Joe Biden said Wednesday and noted that Beijing is not that forthcoming. “Well, yes, I am,” Biden told reporters when asked if he was concerned about the COVID-19 situation in China. The US along with India and several countries have imposed restrictions on travellers from China. “I think we just got to make the protocol we set out: that if you’re flying from China, you got to be tested, and so on,” he said.

Washington, Jan 5 (PTI) The US is making every effort to reduce the waiting time for a visa interview appointment in India, a top State Department official has said, asserting that the visa processing is recovering faster than projected and is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels over the coming year. Addressing the growing concern over the backlog of visa applications from countries like India, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Wednesday that he certainly understands the frustrations of those who have to wait for a long time. As of November 2022, the median…

New Delhi, Jan 4 (PTI) The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal on Wednesday directed Google to pay 10 per cent of the Rs 1,337.76-crore penalty imposed on the tech giant by fair trade regulator CCI. A two-member bench admitted the petition filed by Google against the Competition Commission of India (CCI) penalty. It, however, declined to grant any immediate stay over the operations and said it would pass any order after hearing out other parties.

Mumbai, Jan 4 (PTI) Thousands of employees of three state-owned power companies went on a 72-hour strike on Wednesday to protest against privatisation of power firms even as the government invoked the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), a leader from the employees’ union said.

Mumbai, Jan 4 (PTI) Market benchmarks declined in initial trade on Wednesday amid continuous foreign fund outflows and weak trend in index major Reliance Industries. The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 104.33 points to 61,189.87. The broader NSE Nifty dipped 32.45 points to 18,200.10. From the Sensex pack, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Wipro, Bajaj Finance, Power Grid, Infosys, Reliance Industries and Bajaj Finserv were the major laggards.

Kolkata, Jan 4 (PTI) The government-backed National Asset Reconstruction Company has taken lead in taking over two stressed entities of the Srei group as it submitted the “highest net present value bid of Rs 5,555 crore” among bidders, an official said on Wednesday. NARCL’s net present value bid, submitted in the 10-hour-long “challenge mechanism” conducted by the committee of creditors (CoC) on Tuesday, constitutes Rs 3,200 crore in cash, a Rs 1000-crore jump from the previous plans offered, he said. Although NARCL has a “clear advantage” for taking control of Srei Infrastructure Finance and Srei Equipment Finance, Authum Investment and…

Singapore, Jan 4 (PTI) A 36-year-old Malaysian man of Indian-origin was sentenced to seven years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane for robbing another man of more than SGD 624,000 worth of cash and then fleeing to Malaysia, where he stayed for eight years before getting caught. Sivaraam Monion from Malaysia pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one charge of gang robbery. He was the last in a group of nine men involved in the crime to be sentenced. The court heard that the victim was a 35-year-old manager of a money-changing business known as “Golden V2” at the time.…

Washington, Jan 4 (PTI) In a move that is expected to help India develop a manufacturing ecosystem for high-end drones, a top US drone manufacturer has announced a partnership with a leading Indian forging company to manufacture main landing gear components, subassemblies, and assemblies of remotely piloted aircraft in the country. San Diego-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), a subsidiary of General Atomics, said its partnership with Bharat Forge Ltd will result in significant capability-building for both companies and provide an impetus to the Indian large, unmanned aircraft industry. “GA-ASI is eagerly looking forward to working with Bharat Forge in…

Washington, Jan 4 (PTI) A 41-year-old Indian-origin man has been arrested in the US on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse after he intentionally drove a Tesla off a cliff with his wife and two children inside, according to media reports. Dharmesh A Patel of Pasadena, California, will be booked into San Mateo County Jail after he is released from a hospital, the highway patrol said in a statement. Patel, his wife and children survived and were rescued on Monday at Devil’s Slide in San Mateo County, the California Highway Patrol said.

Washington, Jan 4 (PTI) US President Joe Biden has renominated Eric Garcetti as his envoy to India, with the White House exuding confidence that the former Mayor of Los Angeles would be confirmed by the Senate this time. Garcetti, 51, is a close aide of President Biden. He has been Mayor of Los Angeles since 2013. “Eric M Garcetti, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of India,” the White House said after sending the nomination to the Senate.

Kohima, Jan 4 (PTI) The Nagaland cabinet decided to appeal to the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) to reconsider their demand for a separate state and not to boycott the assembly elections. The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet on Tuesday, said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Neiba Kronu. “While extending our solidarity to the ENPO people, the state cabinet decided to appeal to them to reconsider their demand in the greater interest of the Naga people,” he said.