Live news: Congress for inclusive nation, not 'two Indias', says Rahul

Live news update: The Congress party's ideology is to "take everyone along" and the BJP believes in dividing people, he says.

11:28 PM

EU has not yet found agreement on oil embargo against Russia: Diplomat

The European Union has not yet found agreement on a sixth package of sanctions against Russia, its top diplomat Josep Borrell said after a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday. "Unhappily, it has not been possible to reach an agreement today," Borrell told reporters. He said foreign ministers had decided, however, to provide an additional 500 million euros for arms purchases in support of Kyiv, taking the total sum of money the EU has earmarked for that purpose to 2 billion euros.

 

10:53 PM

India rejects OIC's 'unwarranted' comments on delimitation in J-K

India on Monday rejected the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s "unwarranted" comments on the delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir and asked it to refrain from carrying out its "communal agenda" at the behest of one country, in an oblique reference to Pakistan. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India "categorically rejected" the OIC's comments criticising New Delhi.

10:25 PM

Jet Airways expected to get certificate to fly this week: Regulator

Jet Airways is expected to get its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) revalidated this week, a senior DGCA official told PTI on Monday. The full-service carrier, which stopped flying more than three years ago, is being revived under the ownership of the Jalan Kalrock consortium and completed its first phase of proving flights on Sunday.

9:42 PM

Rahul Gandhi's comments about regional parties 'bizarre': RJD

The Rashtriya Janata Dal on Monday asked Rahul Gandhi to look at recent electoral history of regional parties putting up a strong fight against the BJP as it took a swipe at him for his critical comments aimed at them, saying the Congress leader's claims were "bizarre" and not in sync with his own party's stand.

RJD spokesperson Manoj Kumar Jha said regional parties are strong in a majority of Lok Sabha seats in the fight against the BJP, and the Congress should settle to be "co-travellers" and let them be in the "driving seat" in over 320 of the 543 parliamentary constituencies. 

8:32 PM

Russian troops 'pushed to' within 3-4 km of Russian border near Ukraine's Kharkiv

Ukrainian forces have pushed back Russian troops near the country's second-largest city of Kharkiv to within 3 to 4 kilometers (1.9-2.5 miles) of the Russian border, a senior U.S. defense official said on Monday.

 

6:58 PM

Sri Lanka will have to continue printing money: PM

Sri Lanka will have to continue printing money to pay government salaries and pay for essentials, says Prime Minister Wickremesinghe.

6:57 PM

Sri Lanka inflation likely to increase: PM

Sri Lanka’s economy is in a dangerous situation with budget deficit seen at 13 per cent of gross domestic product, new prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the nation on Monday. Inflation likely to increase in the short term, he says.

6:24 PM

Southwest monsoon spreads over Andaman & Nicobar islands

Southwest monsoon has advanced into the Andaman and Nicobar islands on Monday, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday, signalling the start of the four-month seasonal rains that are crucial to the largely agri-dependent economy. The islands have been experiencing rainfall due to strengthening south-westerly winds in the lower tropospheric levels.

5:54 PM

Putin protests NATO expansion to Nordic nations

President Vladimir Putin on Monday said Russia had no issue with Finland and Sweden, but that the expansion of military infrastructure on their territory would demand a reaction from Moscow, as the Nordic countries move closer to joining NATO. Putin, speaking in Moscow at a summit of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), said NATO's expansion was a problem for Russia and that it must look closely at what he said were the U.S.-led military alliance's plans to increase its global influence.

4:28 PM

Delhi water supply to be affected, says utility

4:19 PM

Russia will not 'simply put up with' NATO's Nordic expansion

Russia said on Monday that the West should have no illusions that Moscow will simply put up with the Nordic expansion of the U.S.-led NATO military alliance to include Sweden and Finland, casting the move as a mistake that would stoke military tension. Vladimir Putin, Russia's paramount leader since the last day of 1999, has repeatedly cited the post-Soviet enlargement of the NATO alliance eastwards towards Russia's borders as a reason for the invasion of Ukraine, said Reuters.

4:01 PM

McDonald's to exit Russia after 30 years

McDonald's Corp said on Monday it had initiated a process to sell its business in Russia after 30 years of operating its restaurants in the country, following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. In March, McDonald's closed all its restaurants in Russia including its iconic Pushkin Square location.

As part of the exit, the company expects to record a non-cash charge of about $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion.

 

3:42 PM

Respite from heat wave likely soon in MP: Weather office

Madhya Pradesh is likely to get  respite from severe hot weather this week as the temperature has started going down and the mercury is expected to dip further over the next few days, a MeT official said on Monday.

3:40 PM

Rain, thunderstorm likely in Himachal for next three days

Thunderstorm and rain along with light hailstorm is expected to be seen in parts of Himachal Pradesh from Monday to Wednesday, bringing a respite from the prevailing heat spell. Rain and snowfall is likely in higher altitude areas of the state, the Meteorological department said in Shimla on Monday.

3:19 PM

Pakistan will 'turn into Sri Lanka' if Imran Khan is arrested: Ex-minister

Pakistan will "turn into Sri Lanka" if former prime minister Imran Khan is arrested and the new government will be responsible for that, former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has warned. Rasheed, while addressing a press conference in Faisalabad on Sunday, said that the incumbent coalition government had become directionless and was unable to handle the situation, PTI reported.

3:16 PM

Sri Lankan PM to discuss with Attorney General's office constitutional amendment

Lanka's new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that an amendment to the Constitution to curb the presidential powers will be discussed with the Attorney General's Department on Monday so that it can be submitted to the Cabinet for approval. The 21st Amendment is expected to annul the 20A which gave unfettered powers to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after abolishing the 19th Amendment which had made Parliament powerful over the president, PTI reported.

2:53 PM

UK will act on Northern Ireland rules if EU won't, says PM Johnson

UK PM Boris Johnson renewed British threats to break a Brexit agreement with the European Union, blaming it for a political crisis that's blocking the formation of a new government in Northern Ireland.

Ahead of a visit to Belfast, he said there would be a necessity to act if the EU doesn't agree to overhaul post-Brexit trade rules that he says are destabilising Northern Ireland's delicate political balance.

2:43 PM

Russia won't simply put up with NATO's Nordic expansion, says Dy FM

The West should have no illusions that Moscow will simply put up with the Nordic expansion of the US-led NATO military alliance to include Sweden and Finland, casting the move as a mistake that would stoke military tension, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. 

"They should have no illusions that we will simply put up with it - and nor should Brussels, Washington and other NATO capitals," he said.

2:24 PM

PM Modi holds talks with Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba in Lumbini

PM Modi hold bilateral talks with his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba in Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha,  and they discuss ways to strengthen ongoing cooperation and develop new areas in the multifaceted bilateral partnership.

 

1:54 PM

Holcim examining 10 acquisition targets of large & small companies, says CEO

Holcim is examining 10 acquisitions with the ability to buy large and small companies, Chief Executive Jan Jenisch said on Monday, after the Swiss cementmaker agreed to sell its Indian operations to Adani Group in a $10.5 billion deal.

"We are growing at quite a fast pace and the plan is, the proceeds from the divestment, we will continue to accelerate our strategy 2025 and acquire new companies," Jenisch told reporters.

1:33 PM

'Shivling' found at Gyanvapi Mosque; Varanasi court orders sealing of area

A varanasi court orders the district magistrate to seal off the area of the Gyanvapi mosque where a shivling was found, as claimed by lawyers, reports ANI.

1:21 PM

Economy reviving as stringent anti-virus curbs ease in Shanghai, says China

China's sluggish economy is reviving as anti-virus curbs are eased and businesses in its commercial capital of Shanghai are allowed to reopen, a Cabinet official said Monday, while data showed April factory and consumer activity was even weaker than expected.

1:05 PM

Shivling found at Varanasi's Gyanvapi Masjid complex during survey

According to media reports, a lawyer said that a shivling was found in the premises of Varanasi's Gyanvapi Masjid complex during video survey

1:03 PM

Videography of Varanasi's Gyanvapi Masjid complex concludes amid security

A court-mandated videography survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid complex in Varanasi, which was carried out for the third consecutive day, concluds amid tight security, reports PTI quoting officials.

 

1:01 PM

'I'm a bot & so's my wife': Elon Musk amid Twitter takeover drama

Tesla CEO Elon Musk who is busy finding fake/spamming accounts and bots on the micro-blogging platform thinks he himself is a bot, and so is his wife.

Annoyed at the presence of fake users and bots on Twitter, Musk last week put the $44 billion Takeover takeover deal on hold.

Reacting to a user who asked if you are also a bot, Musk wrote: "I'm a bot & so's my wife."

12:44 PM

Jet fuel prices at all-time high after 10th increase this year

The rates of jet fuel increased by a steep 5.3 per cent - the tenth straight increase this year -- to an all-time high, in line with a surge in global energy prices.

The price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) -- the fuel that helps aeroplanes fly -- was hiked by Rs 6,188.25 per kilolitre, or 5.29 per cent, to Rs 1,23,039.71 per kl (Rs 123 per litre) in the national capital, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

12:32 PM

China's economy skids as Covid lockdowns hit factories, retailers

China's retail and factory activity fell sharply in April as wide Covid-19 lockdowns confined workers and consumers to their homes and severely disrupted supply chains.

Full or partial lockdowns were imposed in major centres across the country in March and April, including the most populous city Shanghai, hitting production and consumption. Read more

12:27 PM

WEF Annual Meet 2022 starts May 22 in Davos; FM, 3 CMs to attend

The World Economic Forum (WEF) will hold its Annual Meeting 2022 in the Swiss ski resort town of Davos from May 22-26 as the first global in-person leadership event since the start of the pandemic. The theme of the WEF Annual Meeting 2022 will be "Working Together, Restoring Trust", said the Geneva-based organisation.

The annual meeting was earlier scheduled to start in January but had to be deferred due to the outbreak of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Read more

12:11 PM

PM Modi with his Nepali counterpart lays foundation for Buddhist culture centre

PM Narendra Modi along with Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba lays foundation stone for the construction of a centre for Buddhist culture & heritage, in a plot belonging to the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), Delhi within the Lumbini Monastic Zone, reports ANI.

12:05 PM

Mercury slightly dips in Madhya Pradesh, respite from heatwave likely soon

Madhya Pradesh Residents are likely to get a respite from the severe hot weather this week as the temperature has started going down and the mercury is expected to dip further over the next few days, a MeT official said.

The temperature is likely to fall by two to four degrees Celsius in the next three days, P K Saha, senior meteorologist with the India Meteorological Department's Bhopal office, told PTI.