Sri Lanka News LIVE Updates: Former Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa returns to island nation from Thailand – The Economic Times

Determined to enforce price cap on Russian oil, says US

The United States has said it is determined to enforce a price cap on Russian oil announced by the G7 countries.”A price cap on Russia oil is a powerful tool — one part of the tool in our agenda to put downward pressure on global energy prices in a way that will benefit consumers in the US and globally,” White House Press Secretary Karen Jean-Pierre told reporters during her daily news conference here Friday. “And we are determined to implement this policy in a way that achieves those goals,” she said.

Injuries, destruction reported in Northern California blaze

A fast-moving fire in Northern California injured several people, a fire official said, and destroyed multiple homes as thousands of residents were forced to leave immediately, jamming roadways at the start of a sweltering Labor Day weekend. The Northern California blaze Friday forced as many as 7,500 residents to leave. Suzi Brady, a Cal Fire spokeswoman, said several people were injured and taken to a hospital. She said she didn’t know the extent of their injuries. Brady said residents are still evacuating and that the blaze continues to rapidly spread amid 36 mph (58 kph) winds.

US senators condemn bulldozer display at India Day Parade in New Jersey

Two top American senators have condemned the display of a bulldozer at the India Day Parade in Edison, New Jersey, last month. Offices of senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker this week met a delegation of the Indian-America Muslim Council, New Jersey chapter of the CAIR, and several groups of the community who are up against the display of a bulldozer during the popular India Day Parade in Edison City.
The Muslim groups alleged that bulldozers have become a symbol of hate crime, and claimed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath uses these machines selectively to target certain communities. The charge has been strongly refuted by the government concerned.

US to OK USD1B arms sale to Taiwan as tensions rise with China

The Biden administration is set to announce a more than USD1 billion arms sale to Taiwan as US-China tensions escalate over the status of the island, according to American officials and a congressional aide briefed on the matter. The USD1.09 billion sale includes USD355 million for Harpoon air-to-sea missiles and USD85 million for Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, the officials and the aide said on Friday.
They said the largest portion of the sale, however, is a USD655 million logistics support package for Taiwan’s surveillance radar program, which provides air defence warnings. Early warning air defence systems have become more important as China has stepped up military drills near Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province.

Tamil Nadu: 482 new COVID-19 cases; one fatality

Tamil Nadu on Friday logged 482 new COVID-19 cases, including a returnee from Andhra Pradesh, pushing the tally to 35,69,624, the health department said. The death toll increased to 38,036 with a 50-year-old woman succumbing to the virus, a medical bulletin said here. As many as 518 people recovered in the last 24 hours aggregating to 35,26,532, leaving 5,056 active cases, it said.

P Sainath announces returning Basavashree award

Noted journalist and Ramon Magsaysay awardee P Sainath on Friday said he is returning the Basavashree award, which was conferred on him by the Murugha Math in 2017.
In a series of tweets, Sainath made his decision public after the chief pontiff of the Murugha Math, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, was arrested for the alleged sexual abuse of school girls.
“In solidarity with the? survivors and with the cause of justice in this case, I hereby return the Basavashree award (and the Rs 5 lakh prize money that came with it by cheque) conferred on me by the Math in 2017,” Sainath said in one of the tweets.

Non-bailable warrant against Murugha Mutt chief pontiff reissued

A magisterial court here has ordered the re-issuance of a non-bailable warrant against the chief pontiff of Murugha Math, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanu, in connection with a property-related matter in Kengeri Hobli. The dispute is with regard to a seven-acre property in Sulikere village that was allegedly sold for a price that was below its prevailing market value.
P S Prakash, a devotee of the mutt, has filed a criminal complaint. Following the non-appearance of the seer in the matter, the additional chief metropolitan magistrate reissued the NBW and adjourned the hearing till November 10.

No space to run liquor vends at Delhi airport, yet

Liquor will not be available at IGI’s domestic terminals here anytime soon as the Delhi government agency assigned to run the vends there is yet to find space for those, officials said on Friday. The Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) that has been assigned the job is still looking for space to open six vends, they said.
The Excise department had issued licenses to a private bidder for six premium liquor stores that were shut as the new excise policy wound up on August 31.

Russia’s Gazprom keeps gas pipeline to Germany switched off

Europe’s energy crisis loomed larger Friday after Russian energy giant Gazprom said it couldn’t resume the supply of natural gas through a key pipeline to Germany for now, citing what it said was a need for urgent maintenance work to repair key components, just hours before it was due to restart deliveries. The Russian state-run energy company had shut down the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Wednesday for what it said would be three days of maintenance.
It said in a social media post Friday evening that it had identified “malfunctions” of a turbine and added that the pipeline would not work unless those were eliminated.