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

Live news updates: Sri Lanka's prime minister has warned of a food shortage as the island nation battles a devastating economic crisis and vowed the government will buy enough fertiliser for the next planting season to boost harvests. A decision in April last year by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to ban all chemical fertilisers drastically cut crop yields and although the government has reversed the ban, no substantial imports have yet taken place.

Issuing an alert to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Central government has asked them to keep a close watch on the monkeypox situation, in wake of a rapid spurt of cases abroad, and send samples of symptomatic travellers to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for further investigation.

India attracted total foreign direct investments (FDI) inflow of $83.57 billion in the financial year 2021-22, up by 1.95 per cent on-year, according to data released by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on Friday. Total FDI includes equity capital of unincorporated bodies, reinvest earnings and other capital.

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.