The World Health Organisation (WHO) has donated assorted medical supplies, including drugs worth $9 million , to the government of Malawi to support the country’s public hospitals.

When presenting the donation on Friday in Lilongwe, Neema Kimambo, the WHO country representative, expressed her organisation’s desire to see public hospitals in Malawi well-stocked and people have better access to healthcare services, reported Xinhua news agency.

Kimambo added that the WHO will continue to support the Malawian government by providing various resources to meet the needs of Malawi’s health system.

Malawian Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda hailed the donation, saying that the supplies will help address the shortage of medical supplies in the country’s public hospitals.

The WHO has been providing vital medicine and medical supplies to the Malawian government since 2022 through the country’s COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project. AGENCIES

 In a televised statement , Yemen’s Houthi group said it had attacked what it called the “Chrysalis vessel” twice.

The attacks targeted the vessel in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, using ballistic missiles and bomb-laden drones, said Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea in a television statement aired late Friday night . The strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, reported Xinhua news agency.

He said the ship was attacked because the company operating it had dealt with Israeli ports.

However, international maritime data indicates no ship carries that exact name. A Liberia-flagged oil tanker called “Chrysalis” is the closest match, with its last recorded position in the Red Sea.

The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, began in November last year to launch anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones targeting what they said were Israeli-linked ships transiting the Red Sea, to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In response, the US-British naval coalition stationed in the waters has since January conducted air raids and missile strikes against Houthi military targets to deter the group, which only led to an expansion of Houthi attacks to include US and British commercial vessels and naval ships.

Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday that his group had so far targeted “a total of 166 ships linked to Israel, US, and Britain.” AGENCIES

 Yemen’s Houthi group has warned Saudi Arabia of potential attacks if the Saudi-backed Yemeni government proceeds with suspending banks in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on Friday that the group is prepared for a “legitimate response” to what it described as Saudi “hostile activities,” according to Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

The warning came after Sanaa-based banks disregarded the government-imposed deadline for them to relocate to Aden, a port city under the government’s control, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier this week, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said Saudi Arabia is pushing the Yemeni government to move against the banks in Sanaa, accusing the US and Israel of standing behind the Saudi attempts.

The Houthi leader threatened to target banks in Riyadh if “banks in Sanaa are targeted”.

However, neither the US nor Saudi Arabia have made comments on the Houthi allegations.

Rasheed al-Haddad, a member of the Houthi higher economic council, told Xinhua exclusively that banks in Sanaa are currently operating but face an imminent shutdown of both international and internal bank wire services.

On Wednesday, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg sent a letter to the Yemeni government, urging it to delay measures against those banks until August to facilitate peace talks.

On April 2, the government-run Central Bank of Yemen ordered all banks in Sanaa to move their headquarters to Aden within 60 days, threatening legal action against non-compliant firms.

Aden was declared the temporary capital of Yemen by former President Abdrabbuh Hadi in 2015 after the government was forced out of Sanaa by the Houthis during the civil war.

The relocation order is part of the government’s escalating financial measures aimed at undermining the Houthis’ control over state institutions and the economy.

On Friday, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council issued a warning to the Houthi group against resuming military hostilities and undermining peace efforts.

In a stance against potential Houthi escalation, the council cautioned the group against reverting to military action, saying it would “double the suffering and destroy the remaining components of life and scarce sources of livelihood for the Yemeni people”.

The council urged the Houthis not to use military threats to deflect from internal pressures and economic priorities.

Meanwhile, it also expressed its support for ongoing peace initiatives led by Saudi Arabia and Oman, while simultaneously affirming “the readiness of Yemen’s armed forces to counter any hostile Houthi actions”.

Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthi group seized control of much of northern Yemen, forcing the government out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of Yemenis, displaced four million, and pushed the country to the brink of famine. AGENCIES

 Elon Musk-run X is developing a downvoting feature which will be used to improve the ranking of replies.

While the company hasn’t announced its plans officially, recent findings suggest that the ‘downvote’ feature might actually resemble a ‘dislike’ button instead of a Reddit-style downvote icon, reports TechCrunch.

As per code references found in the X iOS app show a button that seems like a broken heart icon next to the microblogging platform’s heart-shaped ‘like’ button as well as direct references to a ‘downvote’ feature.

The feature was tested by the company in 2021, ahead of Musk’s acquisition.

Earlier this month, reverse engineer Aaron Perris, @aaronp613 on X, discovered references in X’s iOS app that indicated a downvote feature that appeared to be in development.

Now, he has found more image files in the iOS app that show the button could be styled as a broken heart as well as more direct references to the feature itself, the report mentioned.

Initially, the company had tested both upvoting and downvoting buttons across all posts. However, the latest tests show that X is only considering allowing downvotes on replies.

In June, Musk confirmed the rollout of a new feature that will hide all likes by default for X users. AGENCIES

London-based technology company Nothing on Friday announced that 1 lakh units of its sub-brand’s debut smartphone CMF Phone 1, which is being manufactured in India, was sold in just three hours across various channels.

“The overwhelming demand for CMF Phone 1 further solidifies Nothing’s reputation for delivering cutting-edge technology and unique design,” Nothing said in a statement.

The company launched the device in two variants (6GB+128GB and 8GB+128GB) at a starting price of Rs 15,999.

The smartphone comes with a 50MP rear camera, a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G processor, a 6.67-inch Super AMOLED display, a 5000 mAh battery, and a 16 MP selfie camera.

It also features a 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate for seamless interactions.

Meanwhile, Nothing said that by manufacturing the device in India, the company aims to harness the rich manufacturing ecosystem of the country while investing in the local economy, fostering technological innovation within the country and creating job opportunities.

“This underscores the brand’s recognition of India as a key market in its global strategy and alignment with the ‘Make in India’ initiative,” the company said.

In addition, Nothing mentioned that this move exemplifies their dedication to delivering “high-quality, locally-produced products that cater to the unique preferences and needs of the Indian market and their expertise in locally manufacturing such a unique adaptable design”. AGENCIES

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong has been on a visit to India to review the company’s local operations and meet with business partners, according to a report.

Lee arrived in Mumbai on Thursday, reports Yonhap News Agency, citing sources.

Samsung Electronics operates a smartphone factory in Noida, northern India, and a home appliance facility in Sriperumbudur, southern India, along with several R&D and design centres.

It also has a strong presence in the network business in India, supplying fifth-generation mobile communications (5G) equipment for more than a decade.

Meanwhile, Samsung has unveiled the all-new Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 foldables, along with wearable devices, with new features at its ‘Unpacked’ event.

The Galaxy Z Fold6, Z Flip6 and wearable devices (Galaxy Ring, Buds3 series, Watch7 and Watch Ultra) will be available for pre-order starting July 10, with general availability from July 24.

The Galaxy Z Flip6 (12GB+256GB) will cost Rs 109,999 and the 12GB+512GB version will come for Rs 121,999.

Galaxy Z Fold6 in the 12GB+256GB variant will cost Rs 164,999 while the 12GB+512GB version will come for Rs 176,999. The 12GB+1TB (silver shadow colour) will cost Rs 200,999, informed the company. AGENCIES

Indian equity benchmarks opened in the green on Friday following positive global cues.

At 9:50 a.m., Sensex was up 282 points or 0.35 per cent at 80,180 and Nifty 50 was up 104 points or 0.43 per cent at 24,420.

Buying is also seen in smallcap and midcap stocks. The Nifty Midcap 100 index is at 57,321, up 173 points or 0.30 per cent, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 index is at 19,028, up 108 points or 0.58 per cent.

Overall broader market trend is positive. On NSE 1,589 shares are in the green and 497 in the red.

According to the market experts, “The market which has been moving in a narrow range this week might react favourably to positive global and domestic cues. The positive global cue is the decline in inflation in the US by 0.1 per cent in June triggering hopes of a rate cut by the Fed in September for which the market indicates a 90 per cent probability.”

Among the sectoral indices, IT, PSU, fin service and metal are major gainers. Only the realty is in the red.

In the Sensex pack, TCS, Wipro, Infosys, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, M&M, SBI, and Bajaj Finserv are the top gainers. Maruti Suzuki, Sun Pharma, Bharti Airtel, NTPC, Power Grid, and ICICI Bank are the top losers.

The foreign institutional investors (FIIs) turned net sellers on July 11 as they sold equities worth Rs 1,137 crore, while domestic institutional investors bought equities worth Rs 1,676 crore. AGENCIES

 Several users on Friday reported losing lakhs of rupees while trading on brokerage firm Zerodha’s trading platform Kite due to a glitch in the application.

However, the company said the problem was due to a connectivity issue at Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

“Some of our users may be seeing orders in the ‘Open Pending’ state for BSE F&O orders. This issue is across brokers. We are working with BSE to update the status of these orders,” Zerodha wrote in a post on X after users reported the issue.

Later, the brokerage firm informed in another post that the “issue has now been resolved by the exchange”.

“Incurred a loss of over 15 lakh today due to a Zerodha glitch. Orders were pending from 10:55 A.M., and I was unable to cancel or modify them. At 11:24 A.M., all orders were executed at the previously pending price, forcing me to square them off at the current price, resulting in a loss of over 15 lakh across two accounts,” a user wrote.

“@zerodhaonline you guys need to pay us. We lost nearly 7 lakh from profit due to your glitch. Order going in the pending order. Scary panic situation. Nearly 30 lakh were at risk. We want our money back #zerodha,” another user said.

One more user mentioned, “Supposed to have 92K profit but could not execute because #zerodha stuck. When executed got 19K loss. @zerodhaonline give me back my money as you are solely responsible for this”. AGENCIES

Vizhinjam Port is a perfect example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s triple focus – Ports for Prosperity, Ports for Progress and Ports for Productivity — Karan Adani, Managing Director of Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd (APSEZ) said on Friday, adding that the company has fulfilled the promise to convert Vizhinjam into a world-class port.

Addressing the gathering after officially receiving the first mothership at the country’s first trans-shipment port near Kovalam Beach in Kerala, Karan Adani said that every aspect that they had planned for “is coming together”.

“We are privileged to have been given this opportunity to use our expertise to transform this part of India, in line with ‘Maritime Amrit Kaal 2047’, our Prime Minister’s vision for the maritime sector,” said the Adani Ports Managing Director.

He said that today is the day when a 33-year-old dream has finally come true for “Vizhinjam, for Kerala and for India”.

The company has already created over 2,000 direct and indirect jobs in construction, operations and other segments and now, with these wide-ranging developments, “we will create more than 5,500 additional direct and indirect employment opportunities right here in Vizhinjam”.

On Thursday, ‘San Fernando’, a vessel of the world’s second-largest shipping company Maersk, arrived at the port country with over 2,000 containers on it.

With the arrival of the first mothership, Adani Group’s Vizhinjam Port has catapulted India into the world port business as globally this port will rank 6th or 7th.

Speaking in the presence of Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, and state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Karan Adani said that ‘San Fernando’, is a symbol of a new, glorious achievement in Indian maritime history.

“It is a messenger that will tell the world that India’s first automated container transhipment port and largest deepwater port has begun commercial operations,” said Karan Adani.

In 1991, when this port project was first announced, Vizhinjam was just another village with ordinary prospects.

“At that time, no one could have imagined that it would become a world-class port – and, let me tell you in all humility, this port is going to be one of the world’s top destinations for global container shipping,” he noted.

The 300-metre-long San Fernando, operated by Maersk which is one of the world’s leaders in shipping and logistics, is the first commercial container cargo vessel to call at this port.

“We can all be confident that this ship is just the first of many thousands of very large container ships that will berth in this port in the years ahead,” Karan Adani noted.

He extended his deep gratitude on behalf of the Adani Group to Chief Minister Vijayan and Union Minister Sonowal, along with the state and central governments.

“The people of Kerala are known for their resilience, intellect and progressive outlook. To the world, Keralites or Malayalis represent educated human capital. That gives us the confidence that the people of Kerala want this port to be a global leader – a port that will become a beacon of progress and prosperity for Kerala and beyond,” Karan Adani emphasised.

As soon as the Adani Group receives the environmental clearance and other regulatory approvals, the company will begin work immediately on the port’s remaining phases – and this could begin as early as October this year.

“We already have 600 metres of operational quay length and we are preparing 7,500 container yard slots to accept cargo. While we are expected to handle 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per annum in Phase 1, we are confident that we will handle 1.5 million TEUs – 50 per cent more,” said Adani Ports MD.

By 2028-29, when all four phases of this project are completed, the Kerala government and Adani Vizhinjam Port will have invested a total of Rs 20,000 crore in “this outstanding example of a large-scale PPP project”.

Through the Adani Skill Development Centre, the company will equip thousands of young women and men with advanced specialised skills relevant to the maritime sector.

“When we took on this project, our Chairman Gautam Adani promised to make Vizhinjam, India’s Port of the Future’. That is what it has become,” said Karan Adani. AGENCIES

 Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Friday, applauded the efforts of Adani Group in realising the dream of a ‘mother port’ at Vizhinjam, which will turn Kerala into the hub of India’s container business.

“This port is the ultimate example of a successful public-private partnership model and with it becoming a reality, we applaud the sincere efforts of the Adani Group for having it done successfully,” said Vijayan.

Vijayan said this while delivering his address soon after officially receiving the first mothership at the country’s first trans-shipment port near Kovalam beach in Kerala, marking a momentous occasion in the port history of India.

Present with him to welcome the mothership — ‘San Fernando’, a vessel of the world’s second-largest shipping company Maersk, arrived at the port with over 2,000 containers on it — were Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and Karan Adani, Managing Director of Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd (APSEZ) on Friday at 10.30 a.m.

Vijayan said that this port has become a reality even after there were attempts by international lobbies to subvert it.

“The first phase of the port is now ready and it has cost Rs 8,867 crore, of which the state government’s share is 63 per cent, the Adani Group bought in 27 per cent and 10 per cent is the viability gap funding share from the Centre,” said Vijayan, and expected that the completion of the third and fourth phases of the project will be over by 2028-29.

Vijayan also thanked the Adani Group for doing their best using their CSR funds for the community at the Vizhinjam port area. AGENCIES