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.

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.