Live: Ukraine says explosion aboard Russian warship was missile strike

Live news updates: US official says the stricken vessel was still trying to put out a fire.

11:09 PM

DGCA issues notices to SpiceJet, firm over training of 90 pilots

India’s aviation regulator has sent notices to SpiceJet and a training company for the way 90 pilots were taught to use the 737 Max simulator, officials said Thursday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) barred earlier this week 90 SpiceJet pilots from flying Boeing 737 Max aircraft. Officials said the stick shaker--an equipment that vibrates when an aircraft is unable to lift itself--was not functioning in the Max simulator of CAE Simulation Training Pvt Ltd (CSTPL) when the pilots were being trained, PTI reported.

10:50 PM

Elon Musk aims for Twitter, says takeover needed for sake of free speech

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk took aim at Twitter Inc with a $43 billion cash takeover offer on Thursday, with the Tesla CEO saying the social media company needs to be taken private to grow and become a platform for free speech. "Twitter has extraordinary potential. I will unlock it," Musk, who is already the San Francisco-based company's second-largest shareholder, said in a letter to its board on Wednesday. The offer was made public in a regulatory filing on Thursday.

8:28 PM

Mumbai logs 56 new Covid cases, one death from disease

Mumbai on Thursday recorded 56 new cases of Covid-19 and one death from the disease, PTI reported. The daily cases raised the tally of infections to 10,58,623 and toll to 19,561, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. After a rise in infections over the last three days, the daily cases in the metropolis have witnessed a dip, while the city reported the second casualty of the month.

7:59 PM

Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor make their first public appearance after tying the knot in Mumbai

7:21 PM

Musk targets Twitter with $41 bn cash takeover offer

Elon Musk took aim at Twitter with a $41 billion cash offer on Thursday, with the Tesla CEO and billionaire entrepreneur saying the social media giant needs to be taken private to grow and become a platform for free speech. "Twitter has extraordinary potential. I will unlock it," Musk, who is already the company's second-largest shareholder, said in a letter to Twitter's board on Wednesday. The offer was made public in a regulatory filing on Thursday.

6:17 PM

Ukraine says it sank Russian flagship, Moscow denies

Ukraine said Thursday its forces sank the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet in a missile attack, but Moscow said the vessel was merely damaged, making no mention of an assault. The loss of the ship would be a major military and symbolic defeat for Russia as its troops regroup for a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine after retreating from much of the north, including the capital, the AP reported.

5:19 PM

Goldman Sachs profit nearly halves

Goldman Sachs Group Inc reported first-quarter profit that nearly halved on Thursday, as capital markets activity normalized from bumper levels a year ago, weighing on the bank's investment banking business. With the U.S. Federal Reserve beginning to wean the economy off pandemic-era support, dealmaking slowed in the quarter and cast a pall over some of Goldman's most lucrative businesses, Reuters reported.

5:04 PM

Ukraine economy could contract by at least one-third this: Central bank

Ukraine's central bank said on Thursday that the economy could contract by at least one-third in 2022 and inflation could exceed 20%, reflecting the impact of Russia's invasion. The central bank said it would postpone a decision on its key interest rate for the second time since the war started on February 24, Reuters reported.

4:42 PM

India on track to becoming $5 trn economy: Finance Ministry

The Union Budget’s capex will boost manufacturing and tax revenue collections to keep India on track to becoming a $5 trillion economy, the finance ministry said on Thursday. Tax revenues in the last fiscal year grew by a record 34 per cent to Rs 27.07 trillion, which the ministry said is "a remarkable testimony to the rapid recovery" of the economy in the coronavirus pandemic, PTI reported.

4:25 PM

Petronet LNG considers setting up 4th facility in India

Petronet LNG Ltd, the operator of the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, may look at setting up a fourth facility in the country to meet the rising energy demand in Asia's third-largest economy, its CEO A K Singh said. Petronet operates a 17.5 million tonnes a year LNG import facility at Dahej in Gujarat and another 5 million tonnes facility at Kochi in Kerala, PTI reported. 

3:52 PM

Elon Musk has offered to buy Twitter

Billionaire Elon Musk has offered to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share in cash.

3:40 PM

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 499.91 million

More than 499.91 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 6,584,384 have died, according to a Reuters tally. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

3:35 PM

Masks, social distancing helped slow Covid outbreak: Online survey

Maintaining social distancing and wearing masks diligently prevented of eight out of 10 families in India from getting infected with Covid, a new survey has claimed. The survey, conducted by digital platform LocalCircles, received over 29,000 responses from citizens across 345 districts of India, said PTI.

3:01 PM

Vistara to start flights connecting Coimbatore with Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru from May 20

Vistara on Thursday said it will start flights connecting Coimbatore with Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru from May 20 onwards.

"The airline will operate daily flights to the city (Coimbatore) from Delhi and Mumbai effective May 20 and May 27 respectively; and double daily connectivity from Bengaluru starting June 3," the airline's statement noted.

Coimbatore is 31st city in the country to be connected with Vistara flights, it mentioned.

3:00 PM

CNG price hike: Auto, cab drivers to go on strike on April 18

With a fresh hike of Rs 2.5 in CNG prices, the members of auto, taxi and cab drivers' associations on Thursday warned authorities that they will go on a strike from April 18 to press for their demand of subsidy on gas prices.

On April 11, hundreds of auto, taxi and cab drivers staged a protest at the Delhi secretariat, demanding subsidy on CNG prices. The protest was held under the aegis of the Delhi Auto Rickshaw Sangh.

General Secretary of Delhi Auto Rickshaw Sangh, Rajendra Soni, said that their protests against the policies of Centre and Delhi government will continue and they will go on strike from April 18.

3:00 PM

CNG price hike: Auto, cab drivers to go on strike on April 18

With a fresh hike of Rs 2.5 in CNG prices, the members of auto, taxi and cab drivers' associations on Thursday warned authorities that they will go on a strike from April 18 to press for their demand of subsidy on gas prices.

On April 11, hundreds of auto, taxi and cab drivers staged a protest at the Delhi secretariat, demanding subsidy on CNG prices. The protest was held under the aegis of the Delhi Auto Rickshaw Sangh.

General Secretary of Delhi Auto Rickshaw Sangh, Rajendra Soni, said that their protests against the policies of Centre and Delhi government will continue and they will go on strike from April 18.

2:59 PM

Mahindra&Mahindra hikes vehicle prices by 2.5%

Mahindra & Mahindra on Thursday said it has increased prices of its entire model range by 2.5 per cent with immediate effect.

This will result in an increase of Rs 10,000 to Rs 63,000 on the ex-showroom prices across the range, depending upon the model and the variant, the home-grown auto major said in a statement.

The price revision is the result of a continuous increase in prices of key commodities such as steel, aluminium, palladium, etc, it added.

2:59 PM

15 kids among 44 new Covid cases in Noida; active infections crosses 100-mark

Forty-four people, including 15 children, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar, the health department here said on Thursday.

The number of active cases in the district has crossed the 100-mark to reach 121 now, it said.

According to the official figures, 44 people tested positive for the infection since Wednesday 6 AM, while 13 have got cured during the period.

"Of the new cases, 15 children were found positive. None of these children were reported from any school," Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sunil Kumar Sharma said.

2:52 PM

Southwest monsoon over entire country expected to be 'normal' in 2022: IMD

In what could come as some relief to millions of Indians reeling from the impact of high inflation, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday predicted that cumulative southwest monsoon over the country as a whole in 2022 was expected to be ‘normal’ at 99 per cent of the long-period average (LPA).

 

The LPA for the June to September months has now been revised to 87 centimetres based on data collected between 1971 and 2020.

 

The LPA earlier was 88.1 centimetres based on data collected between 1961 and 2010. The forecast has a model error of plus/minus 5 per cent.

 

2:19 PM

Every PM of India has contributed to fulfilment of goals of constitutional democracy: Modi

Every government formed after Independence has contributed in taking India to the heights it has achieved today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday and asserted that barring one or two exceptions, the country has a proud tradition of strengthening democracy in a democratic manner.

Addressing the gathering after inaugurating the 'Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya' (prime ministers' museum), Modi said every prime minister of the country has contributed immensely in the fulfilment of the goals of constitutional democracy.

"To remember them is to know about the journey of independent India," he said.

2:18 PM

Sule seeks Union minister Mandaviya's help for Indian students studying in China

NCP MP Supriya Sule has sought Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya's help for Indian students studying medicine in China, who have demanded that their return to the neighbouring country be facilitated to resume offline courses and arrangements for practical classes be made in India till then.

In a letter to Mandaviya, Sule said the students are attending their lectures online in India and are anxious due to uncertainties surrounding reopening of the Chinese border and lifting of the travel restrictions.

A large number of Indian students had come back to India when China shut all universities following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2:18 PM

Hong Kong to ease COVID-19 restrictions as infections fall

Hong Kong will ease some social distancing measures later this month, allowing people to dine in at restaurants in the evening and lifting restrictions on private gatherings, as the number of COVID-19 infections declined in recent weeks.

From April 21, restaurants will be able to operate until 10 p.m. with a maximum of four people per table, officials said Thursday.

Other businesses that were ordered to temporarily close due to Hong Kong's fifth wave of infections, such as beauty parlors, gyms, theme parks and cinemas, will also be allowed to re-open, although capacity will be limited to 50%. Bars and pubs will remain closed.

1:37 PM

Every govt has role in taking India to where it stands today: PM Modi

Every govt has role in taking India to where it stands today: PM Modi after inaugurating museum to honour all prime ministers. 

 

1:36 PM

'Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya' has come as inspiration when India celebrates 75th yr of Independence: PM Modi

'Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya' has come as inspiration when India celebrates its 75th year of Independence: PM Modi. 

1:13 PM

Vaccination greatly lowers infectious viral load in Covid patients: Study

Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 may significantly lower infectious viral load in people infected with the SARS-CoV-2, according to a study.

The researchers noted that measuring the viral load of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 is one of the main factors in evaluating the infectiousness of COVID-19 patients.

Viral load can be influenced by the infecting SARS-CoV-2 variant as well as the vaccination status of the patient, they said.

12:58 PM

Ukraine foils Russia-backed massive cyber attack on its power grid

Ukraine has foiled a massive cyber attack on its power grid that was the handiwork of Russia-backed hackers.

Ukrainian officials said they stopped an attack on an energy facility with the help of researchers from cybersecurity firm ESET and Microsoft, reports The Record.

"They discovered a new variant of Industroyer, an infamous piece of malware that was used by the Sandworm APT group in 2016 to cut power in Ukraine," the report said.

12:42 PM

Ukraine internally relocates more than 250 enterprises

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said that his government has relocated more than 250 enterprises from the conflict-affected areas to safer places inside the country, the cabinet's press service reported.

Out of these companies, 121 are already fully operational in the new location, Shmyhal said on Wednesday.

Another 430 manufacturing companies will move their facilities to safer regions with the government assistance soon, Xinhua news agency reported quoting Shmyhal.

12:13 PM

Rajasthan govt transfers 69 IAS, Karauli gets new district collector

In a major administrative reshuffle, the Rajasthan government has transferred 69 IAS officers, including the collector of Karauli district that witnessed violence earlier this month.

The Department of Personnel issued the transfer orders late on Wednesday night. According to it, commissioners of three divisions and collectors of five districts have been changed.

12:00 PM

Sri Lankans protesting at Galle Face reject PM Rajapaksa's offer for talks

Amid the unprecedented economic crisis in Sri Lanka, a group of protestors at the Galle Face area, which they have renamed "Gota Go Gama", rejected the offer of talks extended by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa while pressing for the resignation of the ruling dispensation.

While rejecting the offer of talks, the protestors stuck to their two specific demands that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa must resign and all Rajapaksa family members must leave the government, Daily Mirror reported.

PM Rajapaksa on Wednesday had offered to hold talks with the protesters.

11:29 AM

PM Narendra Modi arrives at Teen Murti House to inaugurate 'Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya'