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Time of India
5 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Vehicle movement banned on Hulikkal Ghat due to landslides and shrinking road
Shivamogga: The Hulikkal Ghat in Hosanagara taluk, Shivamogga district, is continuously sending alarming signals as it is shrinking. The entry of heavy vehicles has been restricted on the state highway, which links middle Karnataka to the coastal area through the pristine forests of the Western Ghats, due to safety concerns. Shivamogga DC Gurudatt Hegde issued an order to temporarily ban the movement of heavy vehicles and multi-axle trucks on the Thirthahalli-Kundapura State Highway 52. The suspension, which does not affect bus services, will remain in place from Mastikatte to Hosangadi until the end of the monsoon season. The DC stated, "Due to a landslide at the Hulikal (Balebare) Ghat chain hairpin turn and with rains intensifying, there is a possibility of further landslides. For safety reasons, a temporary ban on heavy vehicle traffic is necessary." Heavy vehicles travelling from Thirthahalli towards Kundapura via Rave- Kanagodu- Mastikatte-Hulikkal Ghat - Hosangadi - Siddapura are directed to take the Thirthahalli - Rave - Kanagodu - Nagara - Kollur - Kundapura route. According to the IAS officer, these alternative routes will increase the travelling distance by at least 100km. Speaking to TOI, DC Hegde said the suspension of heavy vehicles is temporary until the repair works conclude. The Hulikal route, a lifeline for commuters, is now crumbling due to the highest rainfall recorded in recent times. Monsoon rains have hindered repair efforts since May, when the first slides of the season occurred. Authorities have covered the shrinking roads with tarpaulin sheets and filled sandbags in the gorges beneath the highway at the first hairpin curve. However, the barriers made of cement concrete were washed away, and mud spilt over half an acre, uprooting trees. Initially, the public works department (PWD) protected the road with preventive measures. Now, they plan to erect retaining walls and expedite repair works after the rains subside. Speaking to TOI, Shivamogga PWD executive engineer BS Nagesh stated, "A carriage width of the first hairpin curve towards Udupi district is congested. The heavy rain and hill seepage have resulted in continuous earth sliding. We are planning a permanent retaining structure and need to expand the carriage width by protecting the earth. This takes time and can only be done after the rainy season." "We are prioritising the protection of people travelling in cars and bikes. We will conduct another geotech survey on the rocks and mud and start the work with Rs 4.3 crore. Seepage in the ground will be controllable, and we will provide filter sand media to eject the water. We have completed similar projects in various locations," he added. Slides have also occurred beside the highway at the second and third curves near the famous Balebare Falls. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees rumors: Why Eugenio Suárez trade talks have ‘stalled'
The post Yankees rumors: Why Eugenio Suárez trade talks have 'stalled' appeared first on ClutchPoints. The New York Yankees are scrambling to stay in pennant contention amid a season that is starting not to go as planned. The reigning American League winners are now 57-48 and far behind the Toronto Blue Jays in their division. New York is still in first place in the Wild Card standings, but a recent injury to Aaron Judge is highlighting some of the concerning flaws on this roster. One of the team's most significant weaknesses for most of this season has been with the hitting from infield players, particularly at third base. The Yankees seemingly addressed that weakness in a recent trade for Colorado Rockies star Ryan McMahon. That deal was somewhat of a surprise considering how close New York seemed to be to a blockbuster deal for Diamondbacks' third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who's having one best seasons in the National League. However, baseball reporter Francys Romero provided insight into what has hindered this potential trade. 'Trade talks between the Yankees and Diamondbacks over Eugenio Suárez stalled after Arizona asked for an MLB player, an upper-level prospect (AA/AAA), and at least one lower-level prospect, per industry sources. Yankees still holding tight to top farm talent.' At 34 years old, Suárez is in the last year of his contract. McMahon, on the other hand, is under contract for the next two seasons at $16 million a year, and four years younger than his former NL West foe. It appears that the Yankees decided to go with the safer option, which would be a more extensive solution at third base than a player who's only with the franchise for a few months. And Suárez, who had joined New York and only been with the team for this season, would've made it difficult for the front office to give away the return that Arizona was expecting. Right now, New York needs to get as healthy as it can be in 2025 and add a few more reliable arms to the bullpen and even possibly the starting rotation. The offense, despite its occasional inconsistencies, remains among the top 3 in scoring, while the pitching staff ranks 16th in runs allowed per game. The Yankees are banking on 2024 Rookie of the Year, Luis Gil, who has yet to make his 2025 debut, to regain last season's form quickly and be a key piece in the rotation come October. Because, should New York return to the postseason, the team needs another starter outside of Max Fried and Carlos Rodón. As for Suárez, it appears that the Yankees' decision to add the right-handed slugger is no longer in the cards. Related: MLB rumors: Yankees scout White Sox upstart weekend before trade deadline Related: MLB rumors: Yankees named 'dark horse' for MacKenzie Gore trade on 1 condition
Fox Sports
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Kyle Kirkwood Turns Up Heat in First Road America Practice
INDYCAR Two heat waves are arriving this weekend at the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR. One is a weather system expected to hike air temperatures into the mid-90s Saturday and Sunday at the iconic Road America circuit in Wisconsin. The other is named Kyle Kirkwood. SEE: Practice Results Kirkwood, who has won the last two NTT INDYCAR SERIES races, continued his hot form Friday by leading the first practice with a top lap of 1 minute, 44.9881 seconds in the No. 27 Siemens Honda fielded by Andretti Global. Kirkwood is third in the series standings, two points behind second-place Pato O'Ward and 75 behind leader Alex Palou. 'Good start,' Kirkwood said. 'Definitely a session that was hindered a little bit by the red and the timing (of red flag). Happy to be quick once again here. We were quick last year, so I guess that's a good positive to take away from today, and hopefully that trend continues. 'But the weather is going to be so much different tomorrow that I'm not sure what we learned from today is going to be applicable tomorrow or the next day. We'll see what happens.' The air temperature, in the low 80s Friday, is expected to climb at least 10 degrees into the mid-90s Saturday and Sunday. That will reduce the grip of the Firestone Firehawk tires and test the stamina of drivers. Devlin DeFrancesco, 25th in points, ended up a surprising second at 1:45.1414 in the No. 30 Manitou Group Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Team Penske began its rebound from a tough event last Sunday night at World Wide Technology Raceway by placing third and fourth on the 14-turn, 4.014-mile natural-terrain road course. Reigning Road America winner Will Power was third at 1:45.1795 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, while two-time Road America winner Josef Newgarden was fourth at 1:45.2228 in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Christian Lundgaard rounded out the top five at 1:45.2246 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Scott McLaughlin helped Penske's recovery by clocking in sixth at 1:45.3191 in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet. McLaughlin, Newgarden and Power finished 24th, 25th and 27th, respectively, last Sunday night on the oval at WWTR. Championship leader Palou was ninth at 1:45.3664 in the No. 10 SOLO Cup Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou led with seven minutes left in the 75-minute session, but nearly the entire field pitted late for Firestone Firehawk alternate tires, which provide more grip and speed but have less durability. That shuffled the order considerably until the checkered flag, although a red flag with five minutes left caused by a trip into the Turn 1 gravel by 2019 Road America winner Alexander Rossi in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet interrupted some late attempts to dash up the speed charts. Up next is pre-qualifying practice at 11 a.m. ET Saturday, followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 2:30 p.m. ET. FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network will provide live coverage. The 55-lap race starts at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). recommended
Politico
16-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
ESOPs like what they're hearing in Trump 2.0
QUICK FIX TAKING STOCK: Proponents of expanding a corporate set-up that allows workers to accrue ownership stakes in companies are bullish on the Trump administration clearing regulatory hurdles they believe have hindered their growth for years. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer gave a speech in Washington last month praising the 'transformative power' of Employee Stock Ownership Plans and vowed to ensure that the department would do more to foster 'rather than discourage them.' 'I understand how poor regulation and misguided agency agendas can directly impact business success, so it's my mission to support you, not regulate you into oblivion,' she said. ESOP advocates have long distrusted DOL's Employee Benefits Security Administration, which regulates these programs as well as other retirement offerings. They contend that in their zeal to protect workers from being ripped off and saddled with overpriced shares, the agency makes it overly cumbersome to set up an ESOP and makes investment advisers fearful of litigation. 'Fiduciaries are taking so many prophylactic steps that they're literally withering ESOPs on the vine,' said James Bonham, president of the ESOP Association, the group that held the event where Chavez-DeRemer spoke. '[There are] millions American workers who will never have the opportunity to have an ESOP benefit because of EBSA.' President Donald Trump's EBSA nominee, Daniel Aronowitz, vowed during his confirmation hearing earlier this month to 'end the war on ESOPs' and said that DOL for years has been 'nitpicking the professional judgement' of experts tasked with fairly valuing companies — an integral step of the process. The industry wants the Trump administration to end an enforcement project at EBSA involving ESOPs that has been in place since 2005. 'There's nothing special about it anymore, other than it allows them to go after ESOPs,' Bonham said. They are also hopeful that the administration will propose an overhauled 'adequate consideration rule' after taking issue with the version proposed at the tail end of President Joe Biden's tenure as required by the SECURE 2.0 Act. Industry members are also calling on EBSA to stop using 'common-interest agreements,' in which the agency shares certain information with outside attorneys. Congressional Republicans have blasted the agreements as a way to circumvent discovery rules and allow private plaintiffs access to information they couldn't otherwise access. The Biden administration took steps to mend fences with ESOP advocates and foster worker-owned businesses, including by establishing an Employee Ownership Initiative within EBSA. 'I totally understand the concerns from the community that EBSA has historically been overly aggressive and discouraged people from pursuing ESOPs,' said Lisa Gomez, who led the office under Biden. 'We were making strides toward improving the relationship,' that's now being overlooked, she added. Gomez also warned that swinging too far in the other direction risks harming the reputation of ESOPs and making companies that offer them less desirable, if workers start to associate them with false promises. 'Some workers have heard bad stories, and are afraid of going to those companies,' she said. GOOD MORNING. It's Monday, June 16. Welcome back to Morning Shift, your go-to tipsheet on labor and employment-related immigration. Deloitte is allowing employees to use stipend benefit funds to buy LEGOs — your host recommends the model U.S. Capitol set. Send feedback, tips and exclusives to nniedzwiadek@ lukenye@ rdugyala@ and gmott@ Follow us on X at @NickNiedz and @Lawrence_Ukenye. And Signal @nickniedz.94. Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories. AROUND THE AGENCIES MONEY BACK: The Department of Labor said Friday that it has completed recovering billions of unspent Covid-era funding to states. DOL pulled back $1.4 billion in March and was pursuing the remaining approximately $3 billion, which had been allocated for emergency unemployment insurance programs set up early in the pandemic response. 'The pandemic is long behind us – it's the federal government's responsibility to return unusable COVID-era funding to the American people and ensure these dollars are being utilized effectively,' Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. More agency news: 'Employee groups challenge 'favorite EO' question as agencies begin rollout,' from the Government Executive. Efficiency alert: 'The Elon Musk DOGE legacy that just won't die,' from Axios. LEGAL BATTLES A PYRRHIC VICTORY? A federal judge on Friday ordered the reinstatement of three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission ousted by Trump. Judge Matthew Maddox, a Biden appointee in the district of Maryland, ruled that the White House's attempt to remove the commissioners in May was illegal, as they were only allowed to be fired 'for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office,' — which the Trump administration never alleged. Instead, Trump has claimed nearly unlimited power to hire and fire executive branch officials as he deems fit and that for-cause protections violate the Constitution's separation-of-powers. But the win for Alexander Hoehn-Saric, Mary T. Boyle and Richard Trumka Jr. may be short-lived. The Supreme Court has already overruled similar reinstatements from Democrats fired from the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit System Protections Board ordered by lower-court judges. And the high court signaled a desire to revisit a nearly century-old precedent that has underpinned the authority of so-called independent executive agencies like the NLRB, MSPB — and CPSC. A CPSC case-study: 'They're Chic, They're Quiet, and They Might Be Filled With Mold,' from The New York Times. On The Hill PRESSING ON: Dozens of House Democrats on Friday urged the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to rescind the Trump administration's move to sharply deprioritize claims of workplace discrimination based on an individual's gender identity. 'Discrimination against transgender and nonbinary people is a serious and ongoing issue,' the lawmakers wrote to Acting Chair Andrea Lucas. 'Yet, under your leadership, the EEOC has abdicated this responsibility under the law when it comes to transgender and nonbinary workers.' Lucas has embraced the Trump administration's policy that recognizes male and female as the sole, immutable genders and has instructed agency staff to backburner gender-identity cases while prioritizing ones involving corporate diversity efforts. An EEOC spokesperson confirmed receiving the letter but did not provide additional comment. Related: 'Ditched by Trump's EEOC, job applicant advances bias lawsuit against Sheetz,' from HR Dive. More Hill news: 'Bill Cassidy Blew It,' from The Atlantic. Unions FOR THE RECORD: Add former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh to the list of Biden administration officials who say they thought it was inadvisable for him to run for a second term. 'If the president had asked me, I would have suggested to him that he doesn't have to run again,' Walsh said on Teamsters' General President Sean O'Brien's podcast released last week. (The media project is not affiliated with the union.) Walsh added later on in the conversation that he sees merit in having more generational turnover in the Democratic Party, without directly mentioning Biden. 'I'm not saying throw out the old people, but if you've been there for 30 years, it's time to step aside and let somebody come in,' he said. Still, Walsh defended the former president against accusations that his mental acuity was slipping and chastised those who he described as attempting to launder their own reputations by dishing anonymously about Biden. 'It infuriates me when I see that,' he said. Walsh, now the head of the NHL Players Association, said he had personally seen how both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were better when they were in unscripted environments. He added that he thinks it was a strategic mistake during the presidential race to not allow them to go off-the-cuff more frequently. Speaking of 46: Biden is scheduled to give a talk about leadership and the future of work in San Diego on July 2 at the Society for Human Resource Management's annual conference. Media outlets this spring reported that Biden was finding a cool market for lucrative speaking engagements in his post-presidency. IMMIGRATION A GROWING CONCERN: The Trump administration is reportedly paring back immigration enforcement in the farming and hospitality sectors following concerns from agricultural interests about cutting into their labor supply. The New York Times, Associated Press and Wall Street Journal each reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued revised guidance to agency staff to place a 'hold on all work site enforcement investigations/operations on agriculture (including aquaculture and meat packing plants), restaurants and operating hotels.' That shift does not extend to individuals caught up in criminal investigations. But is a notable relaxation in the Trump administration's all-out push to beef up immigration arrests, detentions and deportations. The change-of-tune has also been rather sudden. White House border czar Tom Homan was championing worksite raids to Semafor on Wednesday, and the Washington Post reported Friday that things had not immediately changed after Trump's social media posts on the topic Thursday — citing administration officials and Homan as well. Republicans are left in a bind of their own making, conceding that some immigrants are, to refashion the 2008 phrase, too important to deport — at least for the time being. WHAT WE'RE READING — 'These Robots Do Windows,' from The New York Times. — 'Judge approves $69M class action settlement in UnitedHealth 401(k) litigation,' from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. — 'Millions of Working People Could Lose Medicaid Under Proposed Work Requirements,' from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. THAT'S YOUR SHIFT!
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
From imports to exports: How India is becoming a global toy manufacturing hub, ET Manufacturing
Advt Advt Advt By For decades, India's toy industry has rested heavily on importation, with more than 80 per cent of toys available domestically coming from outside the country. This was an import-dominant scenario which not only hindered domestic industry development but also left the sector open to weaknesses in supply chain and inconsistency of quality. Nowadays, the narrative is shifting. India is reshaping itself—not as a swadeshi player—but as an emerging global center for toy change has been driven by a combination of strategic policy realignments and industry realization. The government's "Make in India" initiative set the groundwork by streamlining local manufacturing across industries. But it was the 2020 policy reform that ignited actual momentum: import taxes on toys were doubled to 60%, and compliance with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification was imposed. These measures heightened the entry barrier for cheap, poor-quality imports, leaving room for indigenous producers to expand, compete, and effect has been tangible and noticeable. As per the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, imports of toys reduced by over 52 per cent from FY2018-19 to FY2022-23, while exports grew more than 60 per cent over the same timeframe. India's exports of toys clocked around Rs 3,500 crore in FY23, as against Rs 1,600 crore in FY19—representing a seismic shift in the trade dynamics of the nation. Indian-made toys are now picking up in overseas markets like the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and the Middle East, a sign of increasing confidence across the world in the manufacturing process of this spurt is a fast-changing domestic environment. Indian industry is embracing cutting-edge technologies, following global safety standards, and adopting sustainable manufacturing practices. Gujarat, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu have become manufacturing clusters, providing integrated infrastructure and logistics that facilitate large-scale production of toys. This cluster strategy is making turnaround quicker, cost-effective, and quality-control better—ingredients for export tastes are also driving this change. Global demand for educational, green, and interactive toys is increasing, and Indian toy manufacturers are catching up with offerings that are attuned to these tastes. Natural, biodegradable material-based toys and STEM-learning and brain development-oriented toys are gaining popularity abroad. Most notably, the global market for STEM toys is projected to grow at a rate of more than 7 per cent during the period 2028, and there lies a huge opportunity for Indian exporters to tap new rise as a manufacturing substitute is also opportunistic. World brands and retailers are deconcentrating supply chains to gain less reliance on one geography. India, owing to its stability of democracy, educated workforce, and enhanced infrastructures, increasingly appears as an effective manufacturing platform. Government interventions such as PM Gati Shakti also further increase the export preparedness by making supply chains more seamless and minimizing the bottlenecks in the supply if this momentum has to be continued, the industry will need to keep investing in design innovation, R&D, and training and development. Development of competencies in protection of intellectual property, digital designing, and worldwide compliance will be important to keep India as a legitimate and innovative manufacturing toy industry is no longer in catch-up mode. It is emerging confidently on to the global marketplace, making not only toys—but a gripping tale of transformation, resilience, and aspiration. Having transitioned from being a net importer to emerging as a confident exporter, the journey of India mirrors the impact of determined policy, sector congruence, and an unfaltering vision for leadership across the globe.
