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diesel prices are the costliest in the country in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala while it is cheapest in smaller states and UTs like Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Delhi and those in the North East, mainly due to differential in local sales tax or VAT rates, oil industry data showed. The three state-owned fuel retailers — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) — last week cut petrol and diesel prices by Rs 2 a litre each, ending a nearly two-year hiatus in price revision. That reduction brought relief to fuel users but rates continue to be above Rs 100 a litre mark in some states due to higher Value Added Tax (VAT). Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSRCP-ruled Andhra Pradesh has the costliest petrol at Rs 109.87 a litre, followed by Left Democratic Front (LDF)-ruled Kerala, where a litre of petrol comes for Rs 107.54. Congress-run Telangana is close behind with petrol costing Rs 107.39 a litre.

Shiv Sena and NCP have made the battle for the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra more interesting, besides the focus on traditional issues like unemployment and farmer suicides. Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20. Counting of votes will be held on June 4. The BJP-Shiv Sena won 41 of the 48 seats in the 2019 polls, but the Sena has split since and a vast majority of the Bal Thackeray-founded party is now allied with the BJP. The Nationalist Congress Party also split as well with Ajit Pawar joining the ruling alliance in the state, led by Eknath Shinde. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP emerged the top party with 23 seats, followed by the undivided Sena with 18. The undivided NCP had emerged victorious on four seats, the Congress one, while the AIMIM and an Independent accounted for the remaining two. A total of 9.2 crore persons, including more than 50,000 centenarians, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, an increase of 34 lakh from 2019. Here is how the political landscape in various regions of Maharashtra looks like ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

By Mayela Armas

By Lidia Kelly

Jaishankar defends CAA in Brussels as he promotes India-EU ties The US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, speaking at the India Today Conclave on Friday said that the United States can't give up on principles and principles of religious freedom and equality are a cornerstone of democracy. Speaking on this, S Jaishankar said, “I have principles too, and one of my principles is an obligation to people who were let down at the time of partition".

“At 43000, Indian students form the largest number of international students in Germany. It is important to make the German labour market attractive for Indian students after they get their educational degrees to address the increasing gap in skilled workers in the German labour market,” German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) president, Dr Joybrato Mukherjee, said during a press briefing in New Delhi. He added that following the discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last year; and Germany’s newly enacted Skilled Immigration Act; Indian students will find a smoother pathway into the German labour market. “For Indian students, who have got German degrees many of which are taught in English; the way to getting employment in Germany and other Schengen area countries is now more attractive. We believe in the concept of brain circulation rather than brain drain and we think that international students who are well qualified can follow a very successful professional career path in Germany,” Dr Mukherjee said.

Gold And Silver Prices Today: Gold prices saw a slight decrease on Sunday. The cost of 24 carat gold is Rs.6680.5 per gm down by Rs.131.0. The cost of 22 carat gold is Rs.6119.3 per gm down by Rs.120.0.

Kerosene consumption in the country has declined sharply by 26 per cent CAGR between 2013-14 and 2022-23, mainly due to government policies to promote clean energy. The latest 'Energy Statistics India 2024' of the National Statistical Office (NSO) stated, «The impact of energy policies of recent time is evident on the consumption of kerosene as a fuel in the country». The data showed that the consumption of kerosene has seen a steady decreasing trend with a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of (-) 25.78 per cent from 2013-14 to 2022-23. The report stated that among all the petroleum products the HSDO (diesel), which has the highest share of consumption (38.52 per cent) during 2022-23, experienced a positive growth of 12.05 per cent over the last year.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: In his first public appearance since the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha election dates, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled his ambitious plans for transforming the Indian Railways sector if voted back to power. Addressing the India Today Conclave 2024, PM Modi outlined his vision for the "coming five years" under his leadership.

But as deal-makers feverishly debated efforts this past week by lawmakers to force TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app, they talked about a new version: China zombies.

Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, an increase of 34 lakh from 2019, according to a senior state Election Commission official. The Lok Sabha polls for the 48 seats in Maharashtra will be held on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20 and votes will be counted on June 4. According to Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam, there are 4,78,50,789 male and 4,41,74,722 female voters in the state as of March 15. The state has 5,559 transgender voters.

energy tech startup, chargeMOD, has announced its expansion plans and said it will deploy 1,200 more EV chargers across India and 600 more in Kerala. The company, in an announcement made earlier this week, said it was planning to set up an additional 1,000 slow chargers and 200 fast chargers across various states in India and to establish an additional 500 slow chargers and 100 fast chargers in Kerala. It said this was excluding the existing 1,500 charging stations in Kerala and 2,000 stations across India.

election that is guaranteed to cement Vladimir Putin's hardline rule. The three-day vote has already been marred by a surge in fatal Ukrainian bombardments and a series of incursions into Russian territory by pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups.

Kamal Haasan took a dig at the central government over the announcement of the Lok Sabha poll dates by the Election Commission in seven stages, saying that before implementing the idea of 'One Nation, One Election', at least one election should be held in a single phase. «Before we try to attempt 'One Nation, One Election', can we at least try 'One Election, One Phase'?» the Makkal Needhi Maiam president posted on X. The general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases from April 19, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Saturday. The counting will be held on June 4.

Election Commission (EC) notified the dates for the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the tone for an expected third term in office, saying he works for deadlines, and not headlines. In a keynote address at the India Today Conclave in the national capital on Saturday, PM Modi said, «Whenever I come to a conclave like this, those in the audience expect me to say things that will make loads of headlines. However, I am someone who works towards deadlines, not headlines. So I might be making some points that the media may not find too attractive.» He said he wanted to expand on certain welfarist initiatives of the Centre that rarely appear on newsprint or are extensively covered by the broadcast media.

Trump told a rally in Ohio on Saturday that November's presidential election will be the «most important date» in US history, painting his campaign for the White House as a turning point for the country. Days after securing his position as the presumptive Republican nominee, the former president also warned of a «bloodbath» if he is not elected — though it was not clear what he was referring to, with the remark coming in the middle of comments about threats to the US auto industry.

Congress leader Priyank Kharge took offence at the BJP's social media handle in the state referring to him as 'dynast', as he dared them to use the word on several of their leaders in Karnataka whose family members are in politics. «Dear @BJP4Karnataka, If you have the courage, use and say the word DYNAST to @BSYBJP @BYRBJP @BYVijayendra @BSBommai @ikseshwarappa @Tejasvi_Surya @JagadishShettar @ShashikalaJolle @UmeshJadhav_BJP @BelladArvind among others in Karnataka. (The list is longer across India),» Kharge said in a post on 'X' in the early hours of Sunday, tagging several BJP leaders who have a political lineage. Priyank, a member of the state cabinet, is the son of Congress national chief Mallikarjun Kharge. His political lineage gave the BJP an opportunity to target the Congress over dynastic politics.

Lok Sabha elections 2024: The Indian stock markets are expected to remain closed on May 20, 2024, the scheduled date for Lok Sabha elections in the financial capital Mumbai and several other constituencies across the country, as per a report by Moneycontrol. Although there has been no official confirmation from the stock exchanges yet, a trading holiday on the polling day is widely anticipated, following the precedent set in the previous general elections of 2014 and 2019.

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -A volcano in Iceland erupted on Saturday for the fourth time since December, the country's meteorological office said, spewing smoke and bright orange lava into the air in sharp contrast against the dark night sky.

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia accused Ukraine on Saturday of using «terrorist activities» to try to disrupt its presidential election and former President Dmitry Medvedev decried as «traitors» the scattered protesters who have tried to set fire to voting booths and pour dye into ballot boxes.

By Lucinda Elliott and Miguel Lo Bianco