All News

Colombo, Aug 30 (IANS) Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremewsinghe will present an interim budget on Tuesday with major relief measures aimed at the poor who has been among the worst-hit due to the ongoing economic crisis, the biggest-ever since the island nation gained independence in 1948.

Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Finance Minister, will present the interim budget for the remainder of 2022 containing food ration schemes with essentials like rice, wheat flour and dal, adding nutritional assistance to the worst-hit groups of the population.

Other proposals also include major income support schemes and social security net for the poorest sectors including farmers, fishermen and lower income earners and also some relief for the middle class.

Presented in the midst of Sri Lanka's ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a possible bailout package, the interim budget would slash expenditure for defence and other major infrastructure development projects to use funds for welfare and to repay interests on loans.

The new budget will have a 20 per cent increase in total expenditure to $9.1 billion (3,275 billion LKR) for the next four months of 2022 compared to the original budget passed in November 2021 in which the expenditure was $7.8 billion (2,796 billion LKR).

The interim budget also plans to reduce budget deficit from a 12 per cent to aim a 9.9 per cent and government has announced that 2023 budget due in November would aim to reduce the fiscal deficit to 6.8 per cent.

The interim budget will be debated until Friday before it is being presented for voting.

A comprehensive budget is also planned to be presented for the year 2023 in November.

As the financial crisis hit the country earlier this year leading to severe shortages of essential items including food, fuel, medicine and long hours of power cut, violence broke out on the streets which ultimately led to the fall of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led government.

--IANS
sfl/ksk/

Tokyo, Aug 30 (IANS) Electric car maker Tesla is quietly developing a virtual power plant in Japan as it has revealed that since 2021, it has been quietly installing its Powerwall batteries at residences on the Japanese island of Miyako-jima.

Till now, the company said it has installed over 300 units of Powerwall batteries and expects to install 100 more by year-end.

"This is the first commercial use of Powerwall for a VPP project in Japan, and it will be the largest commercial VPP using household storage batteries in Japan," the company said in a statement.

This project is based on the "solar panel + storage battery installation service", which allows users to install a solar power generation system and a storage battery with zero initial installation cost.

"In addition, Powerwall installation will be carried out by Nextems Co., Ltd., a Tesla Powerwall certified sales and construction company, and Powerwall aggregation and utilization as a VPP will also be carried out by Nextems," the company said.

Powerwall aggregation uses Tesla software to control optimal charging and discharging in bulk.

As a result, for example, when power supply and demand are tight on Miyako Island, electricity generated by photovoltaic power generation is stored in Powerwall before the tight time period and discharged from Powerwall to the home during the tight time period.

It contributes not only to the households where it is installed but also to the stabilisation of Miyako Island's grid power supply, making it possible to stabilize the power supply on the island.

In addition, in the event of a power outage due to a typhoon, etc., power will be supplied to the home where the Powerwall is installed, making it possible to prevent power outages in the home.

--IANS
vc/ksk/

Kolkata, Aug 30 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Trinamool Congress's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on September 2 for questioning on the coal smuggling scam in West Bengal.

Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has been asked to be present at the ED's office at the Central Government Office (CGO) at Kolkata's Salt Lake area.

ED sources said that during the interrogation of some Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in the state, the sleuths came across certain new links in the scam, following which it has become imperative to question Abhishek Banerjee.

The sources said that a special team of ED officers from the agency's headquarters in New Delhi will be arriving to Kolkata for Abhishek Banerjee's interrogation.

The team will consist of sleuths who had questioned the IPS officers.

An email communique has already been sent to the offices of the state police director general Manoj Malviya and the commissioner of Bidhannagar City Police, Supratim Sarkar for arrangement of adequate security.

Abhishek Banerjee is yet to respond to the summoning.

On Tuesday only, while addressing a rally on the occasion of the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad's foundation day, the Chief Minister expressed apprehension that her nephew might be summoned any time.

"He has given a fiery speech here. Who can say that he and his wife will not receive a central agency notice tomorrow. This time if they summon him and his wife, I will ask them to take their two-year-old kid along with them to the agency office," she added.

Reacting to the development, Trinamool Congress member Santanu Sen said that the Chief Minister's apprehension on this count was correct.

"It is the height of political vendetta, where the Union government and BJP are shamelessly using Central agencies," Sen said.

CPI(M) central committee member, Sujan Chakraborty said that Mamata Banerjee knows about the inevitable fate of her as well as her nephew and hence she expressed her apprehension.

Senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha said that the Central agency probe in the matter is taking place following the directive of the court and hence it is a futile exercise to give this summon a political colour.

--IANS
src/ksk/

New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) India on Tuesday witnessed a decline in Covid cases with 5,439 fresh infections reported in the last 24 hours, against previous day's 7,591 count, the Union Health Ministry said.

Meanwhile, the active caseload has come down to 65,732 cases, accounting for 0.15 per cent of the total positive cases.

As per the health ministry report, the nationwide Covid-related deaths toll stands at 5,27,799.

The recovery of 22,031 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,38,25,024. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.66 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Daily Positivity rate has marginally dropped to 1.70 per cent, while the Weekly Positivity Rate stands at 2.64 per cent.

Also in the same period, a total of 3,20,418 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to over 88.55 crore.

As of Tuesday morning, India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 212.17 crore, achieved via 2,82,59,616 sessions.

Over 4.02 crore adolescents have been administered with a first dose of Covid-19 jab since the beginning of vaccination drive for this age bracket.

--IANS
avr/shb/

New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) Microsoft-owned LinkedIn is being used by hackers to spread data stealing malware via sending connection requests in disguise of people working with reputed companies, a report showed on Tuesday.

Researchers from AI cyber-security firm CloudSEK found that scammers are exploiting LinkedIn's chat and job posting features to share links/files that are laced with stealer malware.

Since most LinkedIn users accept any and all connection requests they receive, scammers can easily make connections and build credibility on the platform.

After building credibility, the actors share malicious files and links, which are then opened by unsuspecting victims.

Once opened, a stealer malware is deployed on the victim's system, from which it steals passwords, credit card information, and other sensitive data, and sends it to the threat actors.

"This large-scale misuse of LinkedIn could be the gravest threat yet. The underlying promise of professionalism makes it easier for scammers to run campaigns at scale," said Rahul Sasi, CEO and Founder of CloudSEK.

This is how it works.

A LinkedIn connection reaches out to you regarding a project, from a well-known company, that might be of interest to you.

The connection shares a URL or a zip file with the information stealer embedded. The file size is usually restricted to 100MB to evade antivirus or security tools.

"Once opened, the file automatically downloads the stealer malware onto your system. It then steals passwords and cookies stored on your browser," warned the report.

The stolen credentials are then used to compromise and take over the victim's social media and email accounts.

"We recommend that all users verify connection requests before accepting them, even if the requester is connected to someone you know," said Sasi.

It is also important to scan documents and files shared on LinkedIn, before opening them on your systems.

--IANS
na/ksk/

New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library is located in the capital's Teen Murti House, which remained the official residence of independent India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for almost all his tenure and life.

Designed by Robert Tor Russell and built in 1929 as part of Edwin Lutyens' imperial capital to serve as residence of the British Indian Army's Commander-in-Chief, the Flagstaff House, renamed Teen Murti House, became the resident of Nehru right after the last British Commander-in-Chief left in August 1948 till his death on May 27, 1964,

Later, it was decided that Teen Murti House should be dedicated to Nehru and a museum and a library should be set up. On November 14, 1964, on Nehru's 75th birth anniversary, the then President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, formally dedicated the Teen Murti House to the nation and inaugurated the Nehru Memorial Museum.

On April 1, 1966, the government established the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society to manage the management of the institute, which today remains a major research centre for the Indian public and a platform for various activities.

In view of the increasing volume of research material, an annexe building was constructed in 1989. In 1990, the Centre for Contemporary Studies was established in this building as a new unit of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.

All the items related to the first Prime Minister of India have been kept in the Nehru Memorial Museum.

Many governments came and went gone but no attention was paid to its renovation. The Narendra Modi government not only renovated the Nehru Memorial Museum, but also established the Prime Ministers' museum in this campus. Different galleries of all the Prime Ministers from the first Prime Minister of India to the present day were built and this entire building was constructed in a modern manner.

--IANS
pkt/uk/vd

Los Angeles, Aug 30 (IANS) Singer Jennifer Lopez has spoken out against a wedding attendee whom she says "took advantage" and "sold" a video of her serenading husband Ben Affleck last weekend at their wedding celebration in Georgia.

"This was taken without permission. Period. And whoever did it took advantage of our private moment," she wrote in an Instagram comment shared by fan account @jlow0rld, reports people.com.

"I don't know where you all are getting it from bc we had NDAs and asked everyone to not share anything from our wedding. That is our choice to share.

"Anything I put out private is OnTheJLO and it's to share w my fans. Which I will do when I am ready to. This was stolen without our consent and sold for money. Thank you for caring I love you guys," Lopez added.

In the clip, Lopez, 53, sings to Affleck, 50, who was seated in a chair directly across from her, smiling and enjoying the performance, before she holds the mic out to the crowd to have them join in on the catchy refrain: "Can't get enough."

"All night / I can feel the passion / in your eyes / I'm still in love with you," she sings as she's surrounded by backup dancers.

The couple held their wedding celebration last Saturday with over 100 guests, hosted at the Oscar-winning actor's 87-acre compound on Hampton Island Preserve in Georgia, following their intimate Las Vegas ceremony last month.

Officiated by Jay Shetty, the main ceremony was held on the back lawn under a white framework filled with white flowers while the courtyard was covered with thousands of candles. Everyone in attendance at the main event wore white. The celebration also included a traditional Southern-inspired, family-style dinner on Friday.

Lopez and Affleck first began dating in July 2002 and got engaged that November. They later postponed their September 2003 wedding.

They rekindled their relationship close to two decades later in 2021, with Lopez telling People, "It's a beautiful outcome that this has happened in this way at this time in our lives where we can really appreciate and celebrate each other and respect each other."

--IANS
dc/uk

Chandigarh, Aug 30 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal will not appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Tuesday in the 2015 Kotkapura firing incident.

"Sukhbir Badal has to appear before a court in Zira (town)," said a SAD spokesperson, adding Badal has not received summons for questioning from the SIT.

In a major political development, the SIT investigating the firing case following sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib had summoned then former Deputy Chief Minister and current Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal in Chandigarh.

The SIT led by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) L.K. Yadav, earlier questioned former Director General of Police Sumedh Singh Saini.

Saini was removed from the top police post by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in 2015 following incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and subsequent violence in the state in which the police force was accused of excesses that left two people dead.

Justice Ranjit Singh (retd), who headed the commission appointed by the previous Congress government into the alleged incidents of sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the subsequent police firing on protesters, has placed the then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the SAD patriarch, and then DGP Saini in dock.

Also, he castigated the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda, whose chief and self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is currently serving a 20-year jail sentence for raping two of his disciples and a life term for a journalist's killing, for the incident of sacrilege.

Justice Singh made these comments in January on the release of his 423-page book 'The Sacrilege' based on his inquiry when he was heading the government set up commission.

"Inference on the basis of material and evidence is against both then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and then Director General of Police (DGP) Saini for not playing active role (with the subsequent police firing on protesters after the sacrilege incident)," Justice Singh had told IANS at the book launch here.

The incident of sacrilege took place in Behbal Kalan village of Faridkot district and the subsequent police firing on protesters that claimed two lives was raked up by the Congress against the SAD-BJP combine government in the 2017 assembly polls.

Even in 2022 polls, the incidents continued to rock the state's political sphere as the successive governments are under fire for failing to deliver justice in the cases.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on April 9, 2021, quashed the previous police SIT report that gave a clean chit to the Badals and directed the state government to set up a new team.

The high court had not only quashed the probe but also raised doubts over the methods and ordered reconstitution of the SIT probing the case without IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who is now an AAP legislator.

Following the court directive, the then Congress government led by Captain Amarinder Singh constituted another SIT on May 7 to probe the incident.

--IANS
vg/dpb

Los Angeles, Aug 30 (IANS) Actor Matthew Lewis, known for playing the lovable Neville Longbottom in the 'Harry Potter' series, expressed his anger at an airline, saying that he was moved to economy from first class with little explanation and no apology.

He was on a flight to a fan convention in Canada.

The star, who played cardigan-wearing hero Neville Longbottom in the franchise, told his Twitter followers that he first class ticket was torn up when he approached the gate at Orlando International Airport, and he was bumped down to economy, reports mirror.co.uk.

The 33-year-old took to Twitter on Friday to vent his frustration, writing: "Confirmed. @AirCanada is the worst airline in North America. And that's saying something."

His fuming tweet has nearly received 4,000 likes and been retweeted 434 times, with others sharing their own grievances about the airline.

In a series of replies to other Twitter users, Matthew said he had a ticket to fly first class from Orlando to Toronto with the airline, but he was booted down to economy.

"Kicking me out of first class to back of plane is what it is but doing it at the gate. Literally tearing my ticket up. No explanation other than "full fligha," he said.

"Said if I wanted to sort it I should go to customer service. I asked where that was. "Toronto." I'm in Orlando," the actor fumed.

"But at the gate, less than two minutes to boarding and without explanation or apology? Never. They even said if I wanna complain or get a refund I have to reach out to them!"

In a statement to CTV News Toronto, the actor said he hadn't yet spoken to Air Canada in person about the incident yet.A

"Air Canada customer service is s***e," he said.

"And we as a society should not be okay with normalising the profiteering of overbooking and kicking people off flights."

Lewis was heading to Fan Expo in Toronto, which took place over the weekend.

Commenting on Matthew's tweet, Air Canada said: "Hi Matthew, we regret hearing this. Please send us a DM with further details of the issue, we'll see if we can help from here."

The company told CTV News Toronto that the matter was under review, and they can't yet provide further comment.

This is not the first time one of Matthew's Tweets has hit the headlines. In 2019 his missing wallet was returned to him after he issued a plea on the site.

--IANS
dc/shb/

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 30 (IANS) A patient died in an ambulance after the door got jammed for about 30 minutes.

Koyamon, 66, was being rushed to the Kozhikode Medical College hospital late on Monday from another hospital after being knocked down by a two-wheeler. However, precious time was lost when the door of the ambulance in which he was brought failed to open.

According to eyewitnesses, after the injured patient was brought to the hospital, despite the best efforts, the door of the ambulance failed to open.

People, including the driver of the ambulance, tried their best to open to take out the patient.

Around 30 minutes was lost and it was opened only after an axe was used to break open the door .

By that time the patient breathed his last.

Koyamon was coming out after having his lunch from a hotel at Kozhikode, Kerala. As he was crossing the road, a two-wheeler knocked him down.

He was rushed to the nearby Beach hospital where the doctors decided to shift him to the Medical College hospital and the ambulance was arranged.

The hospital authorities have announced a probe.

--IANS
sg/dpb