LIVE: Apple looks to boost production outside China, says report

India and Vietnam, which are already sites of Apple production, are among the countries short-listed by the company as alternatives, Wall Street Journal reported

10:09 PM

Fuel price cut : TMC says BJP trying to fool masses

TMC on Saturday said the Centre's decision to slash fuel prices is an attempt to "fool the people" as it had increased the prices by leaps and bounds in the last few months and said West Bengal will follow suit once it lifts the "economic blockade" and releases the funds due to the state.

 

TMC national spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Ray said the Centre has raised the prices of petrol and diesel at least 14 times in the past few months and by leaps and bounds in the past one year. "Now it is decreasing the prices by Rs 8 and Rs 6 per litre respectively. This is nothing but an attempt to fool the general people. This cut is not enough to bring down inflation".

 

To queries, he said West Bengal will slash fuel prices once the Centre cleared its dues amounting to Rs 97,000 crore.

9:44 PM

India removes import duty on coking coal, anthracite

The Indian government is removing the import duty on anthractite, PCI coal and coking coal, it said on Saturday, aiming to reduce raw material costs.

 

The measure will be effective from May 22, the government said.

9:05 PM

Vivek Kumar, IFS, appointed as PS to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

8:58 PM

Kerala govt announces cut in state tax on petrol and diesel

8:48 PM

Apple looks to boost production outside China, says report

Apple Inc has told some of its contract manufacturers that it wants to increase production outside China, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

 

India and Vietnam, which are already sites of Apple production, are among the countries short-listed by the company as alternatives, the report added.

 

Apple last month forecast bigger supply problems as COVID-19 lockdowns slowed production and demand in China. The report said that Apple is citing China's strict anti-Covid policy and other reasons for its decision. Apple declined to comment to WSJ and couldn't be immediately reached by Reuters on Saturday.

8:37 PM

New York City resident tests positive for monkeypox virus

A New York City resident has tested positive for the virus that causes monkeypox, state health officials announced late Friday.

 

The unidentified patient is isolating and treating the case as positive while awaiting final confirmation by the Centres for Disease Control.

 

New York City public health officials said Thursday they were investigating two potential cases of monkeypox, a rare virus rarely seen outside of Africa that can cause flu-like symptoms. Testing ruled out the other case, the state Health Department said.

8:06 PM

Turkey's Erdogan discusses terrorism, NATO with Finnish counterpart

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan told Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in a phone call on Saturday that overlooking terrorist organisations that pose a threat to a NATO member is not in the spirit of the alliance.

 

Erdogan also said Ankara expected respect and support for its fight against terrorist organisations that threaten its national security and people, according to a statement by the Turkish presidency.

7:52 PM

Significant drop in petrol and diesel prices will positively impact various sectors, says PM Modi

7:36 PM

Incoming Australian Prime Minister says he wants to unite country

Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese said he wanted to bring Australians together as he made his first comments after leading his party to an election victory on Saturday after nine years in opposition.

 

"I want to unite the country," Albanese told reporters as he left his home late on Saturday night to attend a Labor Party celebration in Sydney.

 

"I think people want to come together, look for our common interest, look towards that sense of common purpose. I think people have had enough of division, what they want is to come together as a nation and I intend to lead that." Earlier, conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had called Albanese to concede defeat in Saturday's election and congratulate Albanese on his victory.

7:26 PM

Delhi logs 479 COVID-19 cases, 1 death in a day; positivity rate 2.06%

Delhi reported 479 new Covid cases and one death due to the disease on Saturday while the positivity rate was 2.06 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

 

With the new cases, Delhi's COVID-19 caseload increased to 19,03,189 and the death toll rose to 26,200.

 

A total of 23,214 Covid tests were conducted here a day ago, the department said in its latest bulletin.

 

Delhi had reported 530 new Covid cases and zero deaths on Friday while the positivity rate was 2.17 per cent. The day before, it had logged 520 new cases with a positivity rate of 2.09 per cent and a death.

6:45 PM

Centre reduces excise duty on petrol by Rs 8 per litre and on diesel by Rs 6 per litre

6:44 PM

FM Sitharaman announces slew of measures to offer relief to common man

6:42 PM

Australian prime minister concedes defeat in election

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had conceded defeat in a national election on Saturday, saying that while vote counting was incomplete the opposition Labor party looked likely to form a government.

 

"Tonight I have spoken to the Leader of the Opposition and the incoming Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and I've congratulated him on his election victory this evening," Morrison said at a televised speech in Sydney. Morrison added that he would stand down as leader of the Liberal party.

 

The capitulation ends eight years and nine months in power for Morrison's conservative coalition. Morrison became prime minister in 2018 after several leadership changes.

5:53 PM

Russia halts gas flow to Finland, says Mariupol steelworks siege has ended

Russia stopped delivering gas to Finland in an escalation of a dispute over energy payments with Western nations, and claimed victory in a weeks-long battle for Mariupol's devastated Azovstal steel plant as it presses for control of the Donbas.

 

Russia also launched what appeared to be a major assault to seize the last remaining Ukrainian-held territory in Luhansk, one of two provinces that make up the southeastern Donbas region: where Russian-backed separatists already controlled swathes of territory before the Feb. 24 invasion.

5:35 PM

Russia declares travel ban on 963 Americans including Biden and Blinken

Russia said on Saturday it was banning entry to 963 Americans including U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and CIA chief William Burns.

 

The travel bans have only symbolic impact but form part of a constant downward spiral in Russia's relations with the United States and its allies since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

5:17 PM

Shanghai district to require all shops to shut, residents to stay home

Shanghai's central Jingan district, a key commercial area of the Chinese financial hub, said on Saturday it will require all supermarkets and shops to shut and residents to stay home until at least Tuesday.

 

The district plans to carry out COVID mass testing from Sunday until Tuesday, it said on its official WeChat account.

 

The use of all exit permits previously given to residents that allowed them to leave their homes will be suspended, the district added without saying why.

4:46 PM

'PM Modi will meet Japanese PM Kishida'

4:28 PM

Delhi court granted bail to Delhi University professor Ratan Lal on furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000

3:53 PM

Court convicts ex-Haryana CM Chautala in disproportionate assets case

3:29 PM

Efforts underway to make NE insurgency-free: Shah in Arunachal

3:23 PM

DU professor Ratan Lal being produced before Tis Hazari Court

3:07 PM

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claims that his Twitter account was hacked

3:00 PM

India's R Praggnanandhaa stuns World Champion Magnus Carlsen for second time in year

India's 16-year-old Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu stunned World Champion Magnus Carlsen for the second time in just three months as he got better of the Norwegian in the fifth round of the Chessable Masters online rapid chess tournament on Friday.

 

The fifth round match of the tournament was headed towards a draw but a one-move blunder from the world champion Magnus Carlsen resulted in his defeat. Despite the victory, the 16-year-old GM was not happy.

 

"I do not want to win that way!" said R Praggnanandhaa after Magnus Carlsen blundered.

 

With this win, the Indian GM now is placed in the fifth spot on the leaderboard. Carlsen is in the third spot with 12 points and China's Wei Yi is on top with 18 points at the end of Day 2 of the tournament.

2:57 PM

A G Perarivalan thanks those who raised voice for his release from prison

A G Perarivalan, a life convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case who was recently set free by the Supreme Court, on Saturday met and expressed his gratitude to leaders of various political parties and outfits for their support to his battle for freedom.

 

"It was my duty to thank all those, who had supported and stood by my mother in her struggle for my release from jail after 31 years," Perarivalan said at a function organised at the Thanthai Periyar Dravida Kazhakam (TPDK) office here.

 

Arbuthammal, who accompanied him, said this was in fact the retrieval of their rights.

2:54 PM

KCR, Kejriwal teaming up for anti Cong opposition front

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are teaming up to make an opposition front against the BJP minus the Congress.

 

K. Chandrashekhar Rao, on his visit to Delhi on Saturday, will be visiting Mohalla clinics along with Kejriwal. He is also likely to issue a statement later in the day.

 

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had also visited Delhi.

 

Both Arvind Kejriwal and KCR share good personal relationship and have a understanding with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. The Telangana CM will be meeting other leaders also and this is his second leg of meeting with like-minded parties.

2:54 PM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wants pre-February borders restored

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy indicated he’d be satisfied if Ukraine’s borders can be restored to pre-February locations. 

 

He called on Ukraine’s allies to help ensure Russia is made to pay reparations. 

 

Kyiv estimates its direct war losses at $100 billion as of the start of May. 

2:46 PM

TN Cong pays homage to Rajiv Gandhi

Cadres and leaders of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee on Saturday paid floral tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 31st death anniversary.

 

Led by TNCC chief K S Alagiri, Congress workers paid homage at the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial in Sriperumbudur near here. The memorial was the site where the former Prime Minister was assassinated by a woman suicide bomber on May 21, 1991. The participants took an anti-terrorism pledge.

 

A 'Rajiv Jyothi' motorcycle yatra, which was flagged off on May 20 by Congress Lok Sabha MP Vijay Vasanth at Tiruvotriyur here reached Sriperumbudur, a distance of about 57 km on Saturday.

 

2:45 PM

Bommai holds consultations with BJP leadership on RS, Legislative Council polls

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who paid a sudden visit to Delhi sparking off speculation in political circles, on Saturday said there was no discussion with the BJP's central leadership on Cabinet rejig or expansion.

 

The consultations during his visit revolved around the upcoming polls for Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council.

 

Elections to seven Council seats will be held on June 3, and the biennial elections to four seats of the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka on June 10.

2:38 PM

Facebook slammed for spreading Putin’s propaganda in NATO’s East

A flood of posts pushing misinformation in Slovakia is putting the spotlight on Facebook for facilitating the spread of pro-Russian theories on the war in neighboring Ukraine, ranging from claims that Kyiv is secretly developing biological weapons to questioning whether President Vladimir Putin’s invasion even happened at all.

 

While Facebook owner Meta Platforms said it’s taking “extensive steps to fight the spread of misinformation” in the NATO and European Union member, Slovakia’s government, other former Eastern Bloc countries, and even US lawmakers say the company isn’t doing enough.

 

The dispute took center stage this week when members of the US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence called out Meta and its chief executive officer, Mark Zuckerberg, for facilitating the dangerous spread of pro-Russia disinformation in the country of 5.3 million.

2:31 PM

Lawsuit seeking Shahi Idgah's removal: Mathura court fixes July 20 as next date of hearing

A fast-track court here has fixed July 20 as the next date of hearing in a suit related to the shifting of the Shahi Masjid Idgah from the land of the Katra Keshav Dev temple filed by petitioner Gopal Baba, a disciple of Naga Baba, last year, the petitioner's counsel said.

"Owing to a no-work call given by the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh on Friday, the matter was posted for hearing on July 20," Deepak Sharma, the counsel for the petitioner, said.

Claiming himself to be a disciple of Lord Krishna, Gopal Baba had filed the suit in the court of the civil judge (senior division) on September 20, 2021 for the shifting of the Shahi Masjid Idgah, constructed on a part of a 13.37-acre land of the Katra Keshav Dev temple.