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The capture of Mariupol would represent the Kremlin’s biggest victory yet of the war in Ukraine. It would help Moscow secure more of the coastline, complete a land bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014, and free up more forces to join the larger and potentially more consequential battle now underway for Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland, the Donbas. (Image: AP) The Ukrainian forces who made a determined last stand in a Mariupol steel mill against Russian troops were a mixture of seasoned soldiers, border guards, a controversial national guard regiment and volunteers who took up arms in the weeks before Russias invasion. As Russia announced it had completed its takeover of Mariupol with the surrender of the fighters who served as the final obstacle, Ukraine's government did not confirm the city's fall. Earlier in the week, Ukrainian officials said its combantants in the Azovstal steel plant had completed their mission and were being … [Read more...] about Explainer: Who were Mariupol’s last defenders?

Representative image. India’s COVID-19 tally increased to 4,31,34,145 on Saturday with 2,323 fresh infections, while the number of active cases came down to 14,996, according to Union health ministry data. The death toll climbed to 5,24,348 with 25 fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.03 per cent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.75 per cent, the ministry said. A decrease of 48 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.47 per cent and the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.51 per cent, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,25,94,801. The case fatality rate stood at 1.22 per cent, it said. The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide inoculation drive have exceeded 192.12 crore. India’s COVID-19 tally had … [Read more...] about India sees single-day rise of 2,323 COVID-19 cases

IPOH: While some fathers feel that seven days of paternity leave is too short, others believe it is more than enough. Marketing designer Muhammad Luqman Hakim Mohamed Radzi, who will soon have his second child, said seven days will be good enough to “settle matters related to a newborn”. ALSO READ : SMEs unhappy with longer paternity leave “There are a number of things to be done such as registering the baby’s name and getting a birth certificate. “Most infants also develop jaundice a few days after birth so the extra days of leave will be important for the men as they need to accompany their wife and newborn to the doctor,” he said in response to the Dewan Rakyat’s passing of amendments to the Employment Act on March 21, which saw the three-day paternity leave extended to seven days. Working fathers are eligible for paternity leave for up to five children. They must also have worked at the company for at least 12 months to be entitled to such leave. Before this, the … [Read more...] about Seven days of paternity leave more than enough, say some dads

(Representative Image) In news that comes as a relief to the common man, the Centre has decided to cut excise duty on petrol by Rs 8 per litre and on Diesel by Rs 6 per litre. This will effectively reduce the price of petrol by Rs 9.5 per litre and of diesel by Rs 7 per litre. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman , while making the announcement on her Twitter handle on May 21, requested state governments to follow the lead, especially those who didn't announce a reduction last time (Novemeber 2021). "I wish to exhort all state governments, especially the states where reduction wasn’t done during the last round (November 2021), to also implement a similar cut and give relief to the common man", read her tweet. Also Read: Excise duty on fuel has to be reduced by Rs 10-12 as there is no other option: Former finance secretary 7/12 We are reducing the Central excise duty on Petrol by ₹ 8 per litre and on Diesel by ₹ 6 per litre. It will have revenue implication of … [Read more...] about Centre cuts excise duty on petrol by Rs 8 per litre, on diesel by Rs 6 per litre

REUTERS/Ajay Verma India's inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) rose further to 15.08 percent in April from 14.55 percent in March, according to data released by the commerce ministry on May 17. The WPI inflation was 10.74 percent a year ago. Another 10 percent-plus print in April means WPI inflation has extended its stay in double-digit territory to 13 months in a row. The rise in wholesale inflation in April comes after data released on May 12 showed the more closely tracked headline retail inflation rate based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) jumped to 7.79 percent in April - the highest since May 2014, or 95 months. Expectations of a sharp increase in inflation in April forced the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee to meet more than a month in advance of their scheduled meeting in June and announce a 40-basis-point hike in the repo rate on May 4. At 15.08 percent, the inflation print for April is the highest in the current series, … [Read more...] about WPI inflation rises further to 15.08% in April from 14.55% a month back

India is 80% dependent on imports for meeting its oil needs and retail rates adjust according to the global movement in crude prices. (Representative Image) Prices of petrol and diesel have remained steady for more than 40 days now. Since the end of a four-and-a-half-month-long halt in rate revision on March 22, rates of petrol and diesel have increased by Rs 10 a litre each through 14 revisions. Fuel prices were last hiked on April 6 by 80 paise a litre each. According to a price notification from fuel retailers, petrol in Delhi now costs Rs 105.41 a litre and diesel Rs 96.67 a litre. In Mumbai, petrol and diesel prices are at Rs 120.51 and Rs 104.77 per litre, respectively. In Chennai, petrol costs Rs 110.85 and diesel Rs 100.94 per litre; and in Kolkata, petrol is at Rs 115.12 per litre and diesel at Rs 99.83 per litre. Oil marketing companies (OMCs) began to raise retail prices of fuel on March 22. In March, the hike was Rs 6.40 a litre each and in April the hike … [Read more...] about Fuel Prices on May 21: Check out petrol, diesel rates in Mumbai, Delhi and other cities

US President Joe Biden (File image: Reuters) As Americans deal with the highest inflation in decades, President Joe Biden has declared that combating rising costs is a priority for his administration. Lately, he has cited one policy in particular as an inflation-fighting tool: shrinking the nation’s budget deficit. “Bringing down the deficit is one way to ease inflationary pressures in an economy,” Biden said this month. “We reduce federal borrowing and we help combat inflation.” The federal budget deficit — the gap between what the government spends and the tax revenue it takes in — remains large. But Biden has pointed out that it shrank by $350 billion during his first year in office and is expected to fall more than $1 trillion by October, the end of this federal budget year. Rather than stemming from any recent budget measures by his administration or Congress, the deficit reduction largely reflects the rise in tax receipts from strong economic growth and the winding … [Read more...] about Biden’s curious talking point: Lower deficits offer inflation relief

United States President Joe Biden U.S. President Joe Biden and his new South Korean counterpart will search for ways on Saturday to break a diplomatic stalemate with North Korea, as they worry Kim Jong Un could lash out with new nuclear tests. Biden and Yoon Suk-yeol will meet in Seoul for their first diplomatic engagement since the South Korean president’s inauguration 11 days ago. The friendly encounter between allies is clouded by intelligence showing North Korean leader Kim is prepared to launch nuclear or missile tests. A senior Biden administration official told reporters on Saturday that the two leaders will discuss nuclear cooperation and that Washington remains ready for diplomacy with North Korea. "It is very much our desire that we find ways to have a diplomatic approach,” the official said. ”We have made very clear we’re prepared to talk to them, and with no preconditions, and we’re also prepared to take steps to address their domestic challenges, including … [Read more...] about North Korea nuclear threat tops agenda for Biden-Yoon meeting in South Korea

Crude oil price has rocketed upward since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 (Image: Reuters) India is in talks with Russia over a deal to buy oil at discounted rates, the chairman of India's state-run Hindustan Petroleum Corp. said on Thursday, at a time when much of the West is shunning Russian crude over the conflict in Ukraine. India, the world's third biggest oil importer and consumer, is struggling like much of the rest of the world with inflation at multi-year highs, and is keen to cut its import bill and protect consumers from soaring fuel prices. The country has already bought more than twice as much crude from Russia since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 as it did in the whole of 2021, according to Reuters calculations, with sources saying Indian buyers were getting discounted prices. Also Read: India buying Russian oil: I will put my country's national interest, energy security first: FM Sitharaman But the comments from HPCL … [Read more...] about Indian government in talks with Russian over cut-price oil deal: HPCL

Finance Minister NIrmala Sitharaman | Illustration: Moneycontrol India has already started buying oil from Russia, since it has come at a discount at a time when the country needs it, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said. "We have received quite a number of barrels. I would think about 3-4 days of (national) supply. I would put my country's national interest and energy security first," Sitharaman said at the 17th edition of the CNBC-TV18 India Business Leaders Awards. If fuel is available at a discount, why shouldn't India buy it, the finance minister stressed. Sitharaman's comments come on a day when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in New Delhi to discuss a range of issues, among which India's oil purchases from Russia, and a new proposed Rupee-Rouble trading mechanism, figure majorly. However, Sitharaman said the global economic climate has been impacted by the Ukraine crisis and that she was entering the new financial year with 'cautious optimism'. … [Read more...] about India buying Russian oil: I will put my country’s national interest, energy security first: FM Sitharaman